


Come Away With Me (Mad About You)

by PianoLily



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:13:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22169962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PianoLily/pseuds/PianoLily
Summary: "You sing jazz like an opera singer."With graduation looming only 3 months away both Rey and Finn prepare for life after college.  First they have to graduate, as well as keep up with their regular gigs with their band, The Resistance.  Rey is studying Vocal Performance, Finn is studying Jazz Composition and Percussion Performance.Ben Solo has reluctantly returned to where he grew up to fill in as a temporary professor at his former college.  Known for being one of the best Blues Pianists in the country, he's caught off guard by the vocalist for a college jazz band.An AU in which Rey is a quiet the singer, and Ben is one hell of a pianist.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 90
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome! This story has been piecing itself together in my mind over the last month or so, and I just couldn't shake the need to put in down to share. None of the songs mentioned will be original compositions from myself, although there will be some pieces I use as if they are written by the characters. All credit for those pieces goes to their original composers and songwriters. At this point it's rated M, but there is a definite possibility that it gets raised to E, but only time will tell for certain.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy.

_“Can’t go on, everything I had is gone. Stormy weather, since my man and I ain’t together. Keeps rainin’ all the time. Keeps rainin’ all the time…”_ Rey sang, letting her voice resonate out over the D7 chord she held on the keys.

After several seconds she opens her eyes, smiling at Poe across from her who is setting his double bass down on its side, then Finn who is rising from his drum kit to her left. Taking a moment for herself, she gently closes the fallboard on the piano in front of her before turning to face the crowd that are rising to their feet.

She lets the applause wash over her, looking around one of her favorite places to be. Snap’s is one of the local jazz bars, possibly the best of them all. The wooden floors are scuffed from years of students and locals coming in to play and listen. 

If you had asked her even 5 years ago if she would ever be here, her answer would have been a resounding no. Growing up in the foster care system had been tough. She had dreams and things she knew she wanted to do, but there was very little guidance for her throughout most of those years. 

Back then she didn’t really care what she would do with music, she just knew she needed it in her life. Music coursed through her veins like a drug, always wanting the next high, the next time she would be on a stage. 

She can still remember the first time she was able to join a choir in school, 5th grade choir. The best part was that it was held during the school day, not as an after school program. This allowed her to participate without having to worry about what the Plutt’s would say. No, this was during school, so she could sing without a care, soaking up every ounce of knowledge that her choir director shared with her. 

When she asked her high school choir director about what she needed to do to learn how to accompany herself, he sent her a few blocks over to Maz’s Music Shoppe. It was a little hole in the wall, but it always had the best sounds coming out of it. Her director spoke with Maz on her behalf and set up for her to get to come in daily to work through some books. She learned the basics of piano technique, but mostly focused on scales, chords and accompaniment patterns so she could play while singing. At school he would give her short lessons over her lunch on theory, along with tips and tricks to aid her. While he wasn’t a pianist himself, he willingly shared all the knowledge he had with her. 

And now here she was, standing on a stage with her two best friends by her side, singing for anyone who would listen. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she stands, taking her microphone from the stand by the piano and rising to face the audience. 

“Thank you all for coming out tonight! We had a really great time, and I hope you all did too. We’ll be back again in 2 weeks, same time as usual, and I hope to see you all then. For those who are new around here, I’m Rey Harris, and we are the Resistance!” Rey says with a smile towards the audience as she places the mic back in the stand. Finn and Poe step up next to her, each grasping a hand as they take a bow together as the crowd’s cheers increase. 

The trio turn from the crowd and move to begin clearing the bass and kit from the stage. The piano Rey used belongs to the bar, something that had been there before they started performing here on a regular basis, and something that would stay long after they moved on. 

“Are you sticking around for a drink tonight?” Finn asks Rey as she helps him pack up the pieces of his kit into their travel cases. 

“Yeah, I can do that tonight. I took tomorrow off work since you were able to get me in to watch that masterclass with you. Thanks again for that, by the way, I’m really looking forward to it.” She responds, zipping the tom into its case, and passing it over to Poe, who has already put his bass into it case which is now resting in the corner next to the stage. 

“It wasn’t a problem, and I’m always happy to get you into our events at Berklee. I keep hoping one day I’ll be able to convince you to leave NEC and make your way over our way.” Finn laughs. It’s been an ongoing joke between them for years now, once they decided to go to different universities. 

Finn went to Berklee College of Music to study Jazz Composition and Percussion Performance. Rey had decided to follow in Poe’s footsteps and go to the New England Conservatory where she would study Vocal Performance. The schools weren’t far from each other, around half a mile, so the friends had opted to rent an apartment together between that sat between the schools. 

“Well, you had better give up on that quick. You know very well that I only have a couple of months left, I’m not leaving now.” She responds, shaking her head then standing. “Besides, I like NEC, they’ve done so much for me. You know that.” 

Rey looks around the stage, checking to make sure they have everything packed up. It always looks so bare once their done. It’s a small stage, and the baby grand takes up nearly half the space. Once you add a double bass and small drum kit then there’s basically no room left. The bar itself wasn’t all that large either, especially when you compared it to some of the other bars that were closer to campus, but it was like coming home every time she stepped on the stage. The crowd knew them at this point, and they always seemed to come out in droves to hear them play. 

“Looks like that’s it. Why don’t you guys load up the van, I’ll grab us some drinks and meet you at the table Rose got us.” Rey says. With a nod from Finn she turns and makes her way to the bar. It had been a while since she’d had the opportunity for a night out with her friends, and she was ready to enjoy herself. 

***

Ben Solo leans back in his chair, ankle propped on his knee, and took in Snap’s. The wooden floors and stage hadn’t changed since the last time he’d been here, although it looks like they had painted over old beige walls with something darker, perhaps to cover the years of writing that had covered them. Unfortunately for them it had already began accumulating again. 

Tipping back his tumbler he drains his whiskey, then not so carefully places it back on the table. Running his hand through his hair to push it back from his face he sighs, debating if it’s worth it to get another drink, while simultaneously hoping he will get to leave this place soon. 

“Don’t act so put out Ben. Weren’t you the one who use to frequent this establishment yourself not too long ago?” a voice says from across the table. He levels his eyes to his friend, Armitage Hux, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. 

“It’s been longer than a few years and you damn well known it, Hux,” Ben spits at the red head who seems to be genuinely enjoying himself. “I didn’t want to come here in the first place, you’re the one who decided he simply had to see Snap’s. You’ve seen, you’ve drank, you’ve heard. Are we ready to go?” 

“Alas, I’m not ready to leave. Why would I want to? I’m in Snap’s, the place that gave one Ben…” Hux starts before getting cut off. 

“Don’t!” Ben growls, slamming his hand on the table rattling the glasses in the middle, “I would appreciate if you don’t go announcing my presence by name. Especially around here.” He can feel his heart pounding in his chest at the mere thought of someone here recognizing him by name, Ben Solo. That name meant a lot in this part of town, and even more the closer you got to the music school campuses, and he truly no longer wanted that recognition, at least not around here. The only reason he was here was Hux’s insistence that he take him to where it all began. And while Snap’s wasn’t the exact starting point for Ben, it was as far back as he was willing to think of and subjugate himself to actually going to. 

The music here was always some of the best of the students from the nearby colleges and conservatories. Students around here would spend hours studying, practicing, eating, living and breathing their individual disciplines. Students who always wanted to move on to the next big thing; performance, composition, production, you name it and there was someone trying to reach that next step so that after graduation they would be the next star in their field. 

He knew Hux was right, Snap’s had done a lot for him, but that didn’t mean he was thrilled to be back. If he was honest with himself it was less about being back in Snap’s, and more about being back in Boston in general. He left town all those years ago and swore to never return, but here he was. 

His former counselor at Berklee, Alexander Snoke, was now the head of the entire piano department. Snoke called him and practically demanded that he come fill in for professor Mitaka who needed to be out the rest of the semester. He pushed that the students at Berklee deserved only the best, and Ben was at the top of the game. 

Mitaka was one of the best blues and jazz pianists in the country, he had even taught Ben for a brief time during his years at Berklee. Now he found himself with a wife whose health was failing and he wanted to spend her last months with her. Ben couldn’t fault Mitaka, not that he could relate, but he did understand. 

Now here he is, back in Boston until the end of the semester, taking up all of Mitaka’s students for the rest of the semester. Naturally, once he committed himself to the endeavor, Snoke had decided to take advantage of the situation and added him in the rotation of masterclasses, claiming it would give even more students the opportunity to learn from him. 

Two months. Then he would get to flee back to St. Louis as quickly as possible, away from Boston and away from the entire east coast. Back to where he called home, and had made a rather large name for himself in the area as the most in demand blues pianist the city had to offer. 

Hux had grown up in St. Louis, listening to the performers down on Laclede’s Landing, the Soulard Neighborhood, Central West End and all over town. He followed the performers wherever he could growing up, and now he followed Ben. 

He was more than a little upset when Ben had told him he would be leaving for Boston for a couple of months. Then Hux decided he would follow him out east, temporarily. He wanted to see where Ben had started out, gained popularity, and then left. Luckily for Ben he would be returning to the Arch city the day after tomorrow. 

“Earth to Ben, are you still in there?” Hux asks, waving his obnoxious hand in front of his face. 

“Of course I’m still here. You aren’t ready to leave, so where would I go?” Ben says, standing, “One more drink, then we leave. The live performers are done for the evening anyway. Within the hour this place will turn into a sardine can of drunk college students, of which I want no part of.” 

Ben turns and makes it way towards the bar, still regretting having brought Hux here. Now he wants nothing more than to leave as soon as possible. He can already feel the press of the crowd as more students begin to pour into the bar, eager to loose themselves in a drunken reveille for the night. 

He steps up to the side of the bar, squeezing his large frame into a recently vacated spot, and signals to the bartender for 2 more of the whiskey he and Hux have been drinking tonight. 

“Excuse me!” a voice exclaims next him. Glancing down he finds the singer from the last band, trying to fit her way up to the bar before continuing her shouting over the music. “Tom! I need need 4 of the usual, please!” 

Ben takes his time looking over her as she idly chats with the patron on the other side of her. Clearly someone who has attended her shows before, judging by the familiarity between them. She’s not small, if anything she’s slightly above average height for a woman. This still puts her a good 5 inches or so smaller than he is, but he’s used to being one of the tallest in the room at this point. 

Her fitted, black jeans sit low on her hips, and her cream sweater hangs off her left shoulder, leaving an enticing view that ran from her shoulder up to her hairline. Her chestnut hair hangs just past her shoulders, the front pinned back from her face. The look accentuates her face, giving it a perfect frame. 

He can’t seem to pull his eyes away from her. Something about her keeps his attention drawn to her, even after he hears his requested drinks set down on the bar in front of him. 

“Here you go Rey, first round is on me tonight. You guys did great.” Tom says, setting 4 drinks down in front of her. Her face lights up as she thanks Tom, giving him a nearly blinding smile that grabs even Ben’s attention from next to her. 

“Rey, the singer from the band that just wrapped?” he asks, not sure what brought him to speak to her, but knowing he wanted to nonetheless. He had been there for their set. They played well for college students, not perfect, but well. There were obvious areas of improvement they all needed to work on, but he still found their performance to be the best of the night. 

“That’s me! Rey Harris.” She says, turning to him and stretching her hand out to shake his. He takes her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. Her eyes were shining with the adrenaline one gets from a live performance. It’s a feeling he knows well, one that he tries to lose himself in as often as possible. 

“Ben,” he says, still not wishing to give himself away, or let go of her hand. It felt small, almost delicate, in his hand, but he knew that was because his hands were rather large given his size. “I assume you are all students nearby? Where do you study?” 

“Yes, and no. I’m studying Vocal Performance at NEC, only 2 months left. Poe, the bassist, went to NEC as well, but he graduated a couple years ago. Now he plays with the Boston Symphony Orchestra next door. Finn, the drummer, goes to Berklee. He’s graduating in 2 months as well. What about you? Are you from around these parts?” The smile she gives him is meant to be friendly, but Ben can’t help the feeling of unease at the mention of NEC and the BSO. 

It would just figure she has ties to two of the places in town he wants to stay as far away from as possible. He tenses as memories of spending hours in Boston’s Symphony Hall threaten to overtake him. Unwilling to give in at this moment he does his best to tamper them, pushing the memories to the recesses of his mind. Instead he drops her hand and averts his eyes to the floor momentarily while he gathers himself. 

“I’m from St. Louis actually. I have connections here, people who have requested my assistance in some matters. After that I will return,” he says. It’s not a lie, he’s no longer calls Boston home, and hasn’t for years. Ben _is_ St. Louis. It’s where he fits in, where he belongs. 

“Well, Ben, from St. Louis. I need to get these drinks to my friends. The night grows old, and a morning class beckons us. I hope you enjoy your time in Boston. Maybe I’ll see you around.” 

Giving him one last smile, she grabs the 4 drinks and makes her way across the floor, through the crowd, to a table in the corner where her friends are. He watches her the whole way, using his height to watch from over the throngs of people. She gives him a glance once seated, quirking an eyebrow at his staring. 

With a slight incline of his head, he grabs the tumblers from the bar and makes his way back to where Hux is sitting, no longer in such a rush to leave. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who commented. I really appreciate them, and I look forward to your thoughts as we move forward with the story.

The next morning came much sooner than Rey would have liked. Rolling over, she pulls her phone from the night stand to shut off the alarm. 8am, two hours until the masterclass begins. 

Not being in any hurry to leave the comfort of her bed, she lets her mind wander back to the evening before, and the strange yet oddly alluring man she had spoken with at Snap’s. Ben, no last name that he’d shared, just Ben. Well, that’s not entirely true, Ben from St. Louis. Why he felt comfortable enough to say where he was from, but not his last name, had left her curious about him.

There had been several times throughout the early parts of the night where she had felt like someone was watching her. Each time she would turn to see him sitting in the same spot, first with a whiskey in front of himself, then eventually a large glass of water. He had a friend with him who seemed to do most of the talking, or was it a co-worker? He did say he was in the area because there were people in need of his assistance. 

It probably should have bothered her to have a complete stranger staring at her most of the night, but it hadn’t. If anything she found it oddly flattering, but still a little weird. At one point she and Rose had left Finn and Poe at the table, deciding they wanted to dance. Even then she could sense him watching her, and when she looked back to him the look on his face was one she struggled to read. Acting on a whim she held her hand out toward him and gave her a head a nod, asking if he wanted to join her on the floor, without actually approaching him to do so. 

She had seen the hesitation on his face, a war within itself. After a brief moment he’d shaken his head, ever so slightly, then averted his eyes back to his friend. Not wanting to dwell on the interaction, she turned back to Rose and went back to dancing her heart out, unconcerned for the man from St. Louis. 

The next time she turned around to look at him he was gone. The table vacated by both occupants, and already cleared of their glassware, a new group of people having already claimed it. 

Groaning, Rey decided she really should get up and shower before they leave. The idea of sitting in a limited studio for this master class, smelling of alcohol and cigarettes wasn’t something she wanted to do. She’d had to sit next to people in other lectures who’d failed to wash up, and she had no desire to become one of their ranks. So with that in mind she finally pulls herself from bed to begin preparing for the event. 

***

Rey follows Finn into the Oliver Colvin Recital Hall. It’s one of the smaller Recital Halls at Berklee, seating just under 90 people, but it’s perfect for this masterclass. The wooden walls and blue stage curtains lending themselves to the acoustics in the room. Rows and rows of black folding chairs, with red cushions are set up, four on the left, three on right. 

She had only been in this particular recital hall once, for Finn’s first recital at the school, nearly 4 years ago at this point. She had attended every one of his recitals since then, and he hadn’t missed any of hers either. They made a point to support each other in any way possible, even if it meant crossing into enemy territory as Poe liked to joke. 

It was only 9:40, so there hall was still relatively empty, pockets of students milling around in different corners, conversing over who they thought the instructor was going to be. Dr. Snoke had kept the instructor a tight lipped secret, enticing students to attend by telling them it was one of the leaders in blues piano, and was a former student at the school. 

It was enough to convince the most ardent of jazz and blues students to attend, but also kept those who weren’t as interested in the field from deciding to come. According to Finn the school had a problem 2 years ago when they brought in the world-renowned violinist Lucía Chen. She drew such a crowd of students and faculty just wanting to hear her play, and speak, that not all the violin students were able to watch who had be instructed to attend. 

This time they encouraged only their most committed jazz and blues students to attend, and select seniors were able to bring a guest, hence why she got to come with Finn. 

She wasn’t a fantastic pianist by any stretch of the imagination, but she was looking forward to learning what she could so she use it with their band. She could read music, and was familiar with how to play. She could play the melody lines of her pieces she was assigned to learn. But she focused on chords and scales, and the theory behind those so that she could play along while she sang. Even with The Resistance, she rarely solos on the piano, leaving those open for Finn or Poe to shine. 

“Looks like Kaydel saved us a few seats near the front.” Finn says, pointing towards the front of the room. Rey pulls herself from her thoughts and follows his gaze to where is friend is. A smile pulls across her face as she pushes past Finn, who laughs from behind her, and runs at the blond girl wrapping her in a hug. 

“Kaydel! I had no idea you were going to be here! Apparently Finn felt that wasn’t information I needed,” she says, pulling back and laughing. 

“Now, now, none of that please. I thought it would be a nice surprise for you. You guys haven’t had the chance to see each other lately with your senior recital rehearsal schedule,” Finn says walking up behind them. “Hey, Kay. How are you today?” 

“Well, I was great until that. You know how much I hate to be called Kay,” the look in her eyes giving away that while she may not like it from most people, it was still a term she accepted from Finn without much complaint. 

“My apologies, Kaydel, how dare I forget,” he retorts, planting a kiss to her cheek in apology. 

“Ok, that was over the top. Just stop.” She laughs as she moves into the row she held for the on the right side of the room. Rey and Finn followed, each taking their seats. Finn opens the backpack he was carrying and hands Rey her notebook and pencil before taking his own from the bag. 

The friends continue to chat about what had been going on recently, while the rest of the recital hall slowly begins to fill with other students, and even a few faculty who were curious about who the instructor of the class was going to be. Rey was beginning to recount to Kaydel about the mysterious Ben she had met at Snap’s when Dr. Snoke entered the stage, causing a sudden hush around the hall. 

Rey suppressed the shudder than threatened to run through her body. There was something about Alexander Snoke had always caused her a sense of unease. There was something about the man and how he carried himself and spoke that left her with a feeling of just wrongness. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but it was there nonetheless. 

Pushing those feelings aside she took a deep breath and did her best to focus, readying herself to take notes, and jot down questions to ask at the end. 

“Welcome, students and faculty. I’m pleased to see you all here, excited to learn from one of the best pianists of his generation. I’m sure you’re all curious to find out who this man is, but first, a brief introduction of him. Our leader today was born and raised here in Boston, growing up active in the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and more. He made a name for himself from a young age as a soloist of the highest level, a prodigy in his own right. He, like many of you here, attended Berklee College of Music for 4 years, during which he put on several of our highest attended student recitals ever. Since his graduation he has traveled the country, now calling St. Louis home, and is known for being one of the top blues pianists to have ever lived.” 

Snoke paused, looking around the room to see if anyone had figured out who was with them today. Rey could hear whispers coming from the back of the room, faculty members who clearly had some idea now of who might be leading them through this class. Students were whispering too, though from those she could hear they had no idea who it was. They were just speculating among themselves, eager to find out who it was after all the buildup from Dr. Snoke. 

“Well. Without further ado, let’s welcome back to Berklee College of Music, Ben Solo!” 

The crowd almost seemed at conflict with itself. The faculty was murmuring among themselves, was Ben Solo really back in town? Most of the students had clearly head the name before, excitement coursing through them that Ben Solo, the Ben Solo, was there and they were going to get to listen to him speak, play and instruct. 

Unlike the rest in attendance, Rey wasn’t sure what to think. She wasn’t familiar with the name Ben Solo, but her mind kept flitting back to the night before and Ben from St. Louis. Surely this wasn’t the same guy. It’s completely possible there are two Ben’s, both from St. Louis, in Boston at the same time. Both are good sized cities, Boston being nearly twice the size of St. Louis, it must a coincidence. 

Her eyes flick to stage left where there was curtain movement, and watches as Ben from St. Louis, Ben Solo, emerges and waves to the gathered crowd. The clapping intensifies, drowning out her own thought processes for a moment. She stands and applauds with the crowd, then takes her seat as the rest of the room does as well, the room falling silent. 

He walks to the grand piano situated in the middle of the stage and takes a seat, raising the fallboard gracefully. He glances to the crowd briefly, eyebrow raised as if asking ‘Do you want to hear me play?’ then turns to the keys and lets loose with something Rey had never heard before. 

She can only watch as his hands glide along the keys, making the instrument work in ways she had never heard before. Her eyes graze over him, taking a better look than she had the night before. Today he wore a pair of dark wash jeans with a black dress shirt, open at the collar and the sleeves rolled up exposing his forearms. 

His dark hair fell loosely around his face, but never straying in front of it. His eyes were focused, always looking at the next spot on the piano where he wanted them to go, his face relaxed though, like what he was doing is the easiest thing in the world. Which, if what Dr. Snoke had said was true, for him it probably was the easiest thing. 

His hands moved across the piano as if he was making love to the instrument. Each key pressed evoking a feeling from inside, begging to be let out. One moment smooth and soulful, leaving you yearning for more. The next with quick, syncopated rhythms, building the piece, driving forward while still holding back just a little. Eventually it reaches a fever pitch urging you to follow it to tonic, to completion. 

When he finished those gathered in the recital hall jumped to their feet with a raucous applause. Rey was rooted to her seat, unable to believe what she had just heard, and trying put it together with the man she had met last night. 

“Oh. My. God.” She says under her breath, knowing this masterclass just got a whole lot more interesting. 

***

“Now, you can listen to – well, there are old recordings of Nat King Cole. Before we know him as a singer, he was a piano player. There was people like Les McCann, who was great with the blues. Horace Silver had his own way. One thing you need to do is listen to guitar players, blues guitar players. You know, you got BB King and a whole bunch of people that piano players kind of try to emulate on the piano. But you can’t bend knots on the piano. So instead of bending them we just go back and forth between them. It’s our attempt a bending, you know? It’s a type of blues technique, an attempt to make it sound kind of guitar-like.” 

Ben goes on, relaying information from his years of experience, what he’s learned, who he’s learned from, and what he’s been able to come up with himself. Tips, tricks, you name it, and he’s put out for those in attendance to learn from. 

He takes a drink from the bottle of water left on the stage, then checks his watch, wanting to stay on time for today’s class. 

He’d been a little nervous coming into the event today, having never given a masterclass like this before. 

He knew several of his former professors were likely to be in attendance, waiting to see if he lived up to the name he had created for himself before he left. He hadn’t planned to play anything original at first, but that morning Snoke had pushed him to give them a sample of what he could do. 

He had turned to the crowd after playing that initial piece, looking to see who was there. He eyes scanned the crowd like he would a piece of music, picking out the important bits. The President and Dean were both there, several of the jazz instructors has come too. 

In front of the faculty were the students, all there hoping to learn a little something that their professors had failed to tell them. Student after student, their pencils flying, taking notes on what he played, except one. Rey Harris, the girl from Snap’s, was sitting there between one of her bandmates and another student. 

He didn’t have much time to take her in, everyone was waiting for him start. He had stalled though, taking a drink of water, his eyes never leaving her. He’d known she was a college student, she’d said as much the night before, but seeing her here today made that blatantly obvious. Where last night she was dressed for performing, today she looked every bit a student, right down to her NEC Penguins hoodie. 

After that few moments of stalling he began, introducing the blues as a subset within jazz, noting the difference between the two forms, and why he was here to speak specifically on the blues. 

Now the time had come when he could finally start wrapping it up, taking a final few questions from the students in the audience. Part of him was hoping she would raise her hand and ask him a question, anything really, he just wanted to hear her voice again. 

She never did. 

Every time he looked at her she was still staring at him, her notebook open in her lap, pencil in hand, but never writing. He was positive she hadn’t taken any notes throughout the duration of the 2 hour class. 

“Thank you all for coming out today. I hope you have all learned a little something today that you will be able to take with you when you leave here.” He finishes, giving the crowd a wave before turning to Snoke, who was rejoining him on the stage, hoping to talk, he was sure. 

He, on the other hand, just wants to leave. He wants to stop Rey and talk to her about last night. He’d told her he was from St. Louis, but with the introduction Snoke gave, she now knew that wasn’t entirely true. He had grown up around Boston, even if he didn’t claim it as his home anymore. 

He also refuses to let himself dwell on the fact that there’s no reason he should feel the need to explain himself to her. She was just a woman from the bar who he had a brief conversation with. 

It took a solid five minutes for him to finally get away from Snoke, who kept asking about the possibility of him giving another masterclass before he left at the end of the semester. He’d had to promise Snoke a meeting Monday morning to hammer out his plans for the semester before he was able to divert his attention elsewhere. 

He turned on his heel towards where she had been sitting, eager to speak with her again. Much to his disappointment her seat was now vacant, as were the seats of her friends she’d sat with. 

Well shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those interested, the part where Ben's speaking about Nat King Cole and BB King actually came from a masterclass that Herbie Hancock gave. Listening to the whole thing is very interesting. He has great ideas about how music is more than the notes you play. 
> 
> Your comments are always appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented, subscribed or left kudos. I really appreciate them, and they drive me to continue to write more hoping you will enjoy this story. I'm really enjoying working on this story and using my knowledge of piano in it. I am not a blues pianist and I will openly admit to that. I was classically trained, and that is primarily what I teach my own students. I have made it my own personal goal though to start studying this style of playing more though since it is my son's preferred playing style, and I want to help him when he has questions along the way. 
> 
> Special thanks to my good friend maskaracakes who has sat with me over coffee and listened to me talk about this for hours, and then takes the time to read it through for any glaring errors. Admittedly neither of us are writers (pianist and a make-up artist), but we love these characters and this story and hope you guys are enjoying it as well.

Monday morning found Rey on the NEC campus heading to her vocal lesson. The weekend had quickly gotten away from her, allowing her to push thoughts of Ben and his masterclass to the back of her mind. 

Even having requested Saturday off, one of the managers at work had sent her a text during the class and left a message about being shorthanded. Normally she would be upset at being called in on a requested day off, but after the shock of Ben teaching the masterclass she was glad to have a distraction. 

A distraction from her distraction. 

The walk to class was her first time to truly let her mind think back through her interactions with him on Friday night and Saturday morning. 

After her encounter with him at Snap’s she was already intrigued by him. The way he watched her all night, but wouldn’t join her had left her oddly wanting his attention more than she should have. There was something about him that she simply couldn’t shake. 

Now that she had spent the better part of two hours watching him she could barely put him from her mind without the use of an external distraction. She has so many questions about why he hadn’t be forthcoming about his connection to Boston, as well as his reason for being here. Logically she knows their brief conversation Snap’s doesn’t actually give her the right to get those answers, but she still wants them. 

She wants to know why he felt the need to strike up a conversation if he’d had no intention of being forthright with her. She wants to know why he watched her all night but wouldn’t join her. More than anything she wants to know why she felt drawn to him after that night, then more so after the masterclass. 

Her shock at seeing him on that stage had sent her brain into a temporary reboot mode. Then he started to play and she was lost to it. Her eyes never left him the entire class, her notebook and pencil left forgotten on her lap. 

His voice left something coiling inside her that she had never felt. It wasn’t just the timbre of it, although that was wonderful thing, it was the passion behind his words. She knew he had to be knowledgeable about the subject, otherwise they wouldn’t have brought him in. Hearing him talk with such passion behind that knowledge was both mesmerizing and intoxicating. 

Her thoughts about him carry her all the way through the main building and to the office of her advisor and vocal teacher, Dr. Leia Organa. 

The door is already open, waiting for her arrival. So she gives a single knock as she pokes her head into the door. 

“Dr. Organa?” 

“Come on in Rey. I’ll be just a moment, but go ahead and get situated.” 

Rey enters the room and takes a seat on the provided chair. 

Dr. Organa’s office is one of the larger ones in the department since she is both an instructor and an advisor. The room is painted a cream color, and has a large rug in the middle of the floor. Directly across from where Rey entered is a large window that looks down along Huntington Avenue. The wall on the left contains several bookshelves filled with various books pertaining to lessons, technique, foreign language pronunciation, theory, and scores. 

The wall on the right contains a decent sized desk, where Dr. Organa is currently working, as well as a Steinway & Sons studio upright Model 1098. The wall above the piano plays host to her degrees, BA in Music from the Peabody Institute at John Hopkins, MM in Music from Juilliard, DMA from here at NEC. It also displays many awards she has won over the years. 

“Rey, it’s nice to see you today. How was your weekend?” Dr. Organa smiles at Rey, and a sense of calm settles over her. She’s always gotten that from her, even before she was officially one of her students. 

“It’s was good, we had our regular gig at Snap’s, which went well. I got to attend a masterclass at Berklee too, with Finn. They allowed specific seniors bring a guest for it, so he brought me.” 

“Sounds like it was a good weekend. What was the topic for this masterclass? You know we have our own that we regularly host here for vocal students.” 

“I know, but it wasn’t for voice, it was for jazz and blues piano. They had brought in a special instructor from out of town for it. It was…interesting,” she left off, not really sure where to go with that comment. If she was honest with herself her interest wasn’t from the music itself, but she wasn’t going to open up to Dr. Organa about that. 

“I see, still trying to learn what you can for the Resistance then?” 

Rey nodded, that was why she had gone in the first place, even if it wasn’t what had kept her attention for the duration of the program. 

“And who was this instructor that was so interesting?” 

“Oh, well, you might have actually heard of him. They said he grew up around here, although I had never heard of him. His name was Ben.” _From St. Louis,_ Rey thought to herself, “Ben Solo.” 

She could have sworn she saw Dr. Organa tense for moment. A pained look shot across her face before she was able to catch it. 

“Yes, Ben Solo. I am…familiar with the name.” Rey watched as Dr. Organa quickly schooled her features back into her normal, soft expression. Her smile no longer as bright as usual, her eyes not crinkling at the edges as they would with a truly happy one. “Did you learn anything new? Was Mr. Solo an engaging lecturer?” 

Rey could feel the heat flooding her body, and she momentarily prayed it didn’t show, as she considered how to best answer that question. She knows her professor isn’t asking about how his hands flowed across the keys, or how he constantly moved them when speaking. Surely it was subconscious, but he still did – in the air when he would show fingering patterns, through his hair to push it back from his face, across his face each time he would pause to gather his thoughts. He had constantly moved across the length of the stage, like a pendulum in motion. 

“He was very knowledgeable on the topic. I definitely learned stuff I didn’t know before. I’m hoping it will help me, and the Resistance, moving forward.” There, that was a respectable answer…right? 

“Good. I’m glad you got to participate in the class then. Now, let’s talk about your senior recital, you’ve only 3 weeks left. How are you feeling?” 

“I feel prepared. I spent extra time this week on some of the intonation and pronunciation we had talked about in _Abendempfindung_. I think I’ve got it all worked out. Starting Wednesday I’m upping my rehearsals with Kaz to 3 times a week for an hour, on top of him coming to my lessons from here on out. I feel good about this. I’m ready, I think.” She tries to sound confident about it, knowing deep down she’s terrified. This will be it, 90 minutes on a stage putting everything she’s learned over the last 4 years out there for anyone to come and listen. 

“Rey, relax. You are prepared. I just wanted to make sure you felt that you were. Now, why don’t we start with that piece for today?” 

Rey nods and gets the music and a pencil from her bag, setting it on the stand provided. She rises to her and begins to go through her vocal warm-ups, putting Ben to the back of her mind for the time being. 

***

Ben raked his hand through his hair, fighting with everything in him to not kick the student out of his temporary office. It had already been an arduous day, and it was only 10am. He’d never been much of a morning person to begin with, part of which he attributed to late night gigs at various establishments. The plus side was he got to make his own schedule, which allowed him to sleep in. 

That would not be the case for the next 2 months. Part of his commitment to filling in for Mitaka was that he would maintain his student’s current lesson schedule so they wouldn’t conflict with their other classes. That left Ben with lessons beginning at 8:30am four days of the week. 

Today had been an even earlier start since he had ensured Snoke a meeting this morning. He was already trying to push Ben into possibly continuing his stay at Berklee into the summer to teach a summer class, something that left Ben dreading what else he might push for as the semester continues. 

“Mr. Smith,” he starts. 

“It’s Chad.” 

“Excuse me?” Ben says incredulously, already annoyed at having been interrupted. 

“My name, it’s Chad. Dopheld, you know, Professor Mitaka, he encouraged the use of first names in the studio setting. He said promotes familiarity and makes people more comfortable,” 

“I see,” Ben stood and took a few steps away from the piano to prevent himself from slamming the fallboard down out of frustration. After a few breaths to collect himself he returns to chair, feeling under enough control to continue, “Seeing as it seems to have escaped your notice, but I am not Professor Mitaka, thus there are things that won’t remain the same while I am here. I will keep his teaching schedule, and I will share my knowledge and encourage your growth as a pianist. I will not reference you by your first name, nor will I permit you to use mine. Understood?” 

“I…Um…Yes sir.” 

“Good. Now as I was about to say Mr. Smith, I want you to refrain from playing the Hanon Exercises for the remainder of the semester.” 

“But Professor Mitaka…” The look Ben gave me stopped him before he could get started, “Yes sir.” 

“Good. Here’s the reasoning, playing an exercise in straight 16th notes for 2 or 4 octaves as quickly as possible is not your goal here. You want to be a jazz pianist, so play jazz. Continue your scales, but stop playing them straight, start swinging them every time, in each key. Set your metronome to click on just 2 or 4, much like a high-hat would. Then mix the scale up and play the swing scale over a I-IV-II-V-I chord progression, again in each key.” 

“Yes sir. I can do that. What piece should I work on?” 

“Mr. Smith, you are a 2nd year jazz student, correct?” Ben watches as he nods his head, “Then I would hope you understand the fundamental difference between classical and jazz piano. This isn’t a regimented concerto, jazz is about improvisation. You need to understand the more than reading notes on the page. Scales and chords are great, but you really need to learn how to feel it as well. I want you to sit down and transcribe Barry Harris’s solo from ‘On Green Dolphin Street.’ Pay extra attention to the II-V-I licks. After you transcribe it I want you to learn it, play it in the original key, and then transpose it to the other 12 keys.” 

“You want me to learn a single solo and play it in all 12 keys? I’m not sure I understand the logic behind that, sir.” 

This was only the second lesson of the day and Ben had already had this conversation with the first student, giving her nearly the same assignment he was giving Chad Smith. Suppressing a groan of frustration he motions for them to switch places so he can demonstrate the reasoning behind this exercise. 

“Take Wes Montgomery’s solo in ‘Satin Doll.’ It’s most commonly played in C major, and the licks aren’t too complicated in that key. Note, you still have to take care with the accidentals, particularly around measures 15, 23, and 31. There’s also the four measures of triplets that switch from eighth notes to sixteenth and back again to watch out for. Now, taking that from C to G, not a big deal, just account for the F-sharp in the key signature and adjust appropriately. But try taking that to B, or worse yet C-sharp. Now you have to take into account the five or seven sharps already in the key signature, as well as all the added accidentals,” he says, playing the solo from memory, first in the original key, then in each of the others he mentioned. It was one of the first ones he had worked on himself when he started utilizing this technique to improve his own playing. 

“Why would you opt to play in C-sharp anyway sir? Why not write it as D-flat? They are enharmonically the same, and D-flat is easier to read with only five flats, versus C-sharp with seven sharps.” 

“You’re right, you would typically see it written that way, but pieces are still composed in C-sharp, therefore you must learn to play in that. Consider Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No. 3 from the _The Well-Tempered Clavier_ , or Ravel’s _Ondine_ from his piano suite _Gaspard de la nuit_. Or let’s think real outside the box and look at Liszt’s _Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6._. He takes the unusual step of changing key from D-flat major to C-sharp major near the beginning of the piece, and then soon back again to D-flat major. Composers will do what they want, and you must adapt.” 

“I’m still not sure I follow, sir.” 

“Just go. Do the exercises and instructed. Transcribe the lick and then learn it in all 12 keys. When you come back next week we’ll discuss your feelings on doing that and see if you’ve found preferred keys for it. Then we’ll discuss what’s to come next.” This earns Ben a nod from Chad, who quickly gathers his materials and heads out the door. 

After closing the fallboard Ben drops into the chair at his desk and absently rubs his temples as he contemplates the decision to have come here. He wasn’t a teacher, hell he’d never even had any inclination towards teaching. His fellow students drove him crazy even when he was one, and after two lessons he was positive it would only get worse from here on out. 

The bright spot he’d had thus far was Rey. Their initial meeting at Snap’s was by complete chance, but she had still left an impression on him. It had been years since a woman he caught his eye the way she had. Then to see her sitting in his masterclass had floored him. He hadn’t gotten to talk to her the second time since she had ran from his masterclass so quickly, but it hadn’t stopped him from thinking about her in the time since. 

Each time he walked through campus he was keeping an eye out for her friends she’d been with. It was unlikely he would see her there, he knew that, she didn’t even go to this university. That didn’t stop him from the hope that their paths might cross again one day. 

He knew he should try and put her from his mind. She’s a student for Christ sake, not his student _thankfully_ , but still a student. Knowing she was in her senior year he could do the math himself, he had 10 years on her, give or take. But that didn’t stop his mind from straying to her at any given chance. 

Damn Snoke for wanting to talk immediately after the masterclass. 

Pulling his hand through his hair in frustration he glanced at the clock on the wall which told him he had almost 2 hours until his next student. He’d let the previous student go early, and then he had a built in break for lunch and planning. 

Already tired of being cooped up in his office he grabs his laptop and jacket, checking the pockets for his keys, wallet and phone, then makes his way down to the campus coffee shop in need of a distraction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all enjoying it! My goal is to update weekly, but that may stretch a little occasionally. With 4 littles ate home and teaching piano, and a myriad of activities between my little time is often pushed to its limits. As always thought your thoughts and comments are an inspiration that continues to help me. So please share your thoughts, and if you're enjoying the story please share it with others!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a fairly busy day tomorrow, so I decided to post this up today. It's nearly twice the length of my first 3 chapters, but once it started I couldn't stop. I hope you all like this. Special thanks again to maskaracakes for tolerating my barrage of texts as I agonized over certain parts. Lots of coffee and banana bread later we finally agreed that it's ready.

Ben settles himself into a corner booth of the coffee shop, taking a drink from his coffee while waiting for his laptop to boot up. The shop hadn’t changed much in the years he had been gone. It still had the same atrocious, patterned tile on the floor and gaudy, green vinyl seats. In a way it was a calm that he hadn’t had since returning to Boston a week ago. 

He’d grown up in this damned city, but he still felt like a foreigner here. Maybe he really was at this point. He’d been gone so long, and life here went on. He’d made his life elsewhere, and he didn’t regret it. St. Louis was the kind of laid back he’d always wanted; a smaller city, the same amenities as most larger cities, but there was a more relaxed feel to it. There wasn’t the hustle and bustle that always seemed to be going on in Boston. 

He loses himself in answering emails from Hux and other friends from St. Louis, then from students who were confirming their upcoming lessons for the week. He startles when a pair of brown boots walk up and stop next to him, drawing his attention from his computer. 

“Well I’ll be damned. I heard you were back in town, but I honestly had a hard time believing it.” Ben looked up into a pair of twinkling, green eyes that held an air of disbelief to them. “Dick move, by the way. Up and leaving without actually letting any of us know.”

“Hello, Jyn,” he says, fighting off the urge to roll his eyes. It was just like her to greet him and call him out in the same sentence. 

“Hello? That’s all I get? A fucking hello?” she laughs grabbing his and hand a pulling him to standing before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “You’re an asshole Solo, but it’s nice to see you again.” 

He can’t hold back the laugh that escapes as he wraps his arms around her miniscule frame. 

“Hell, I guess I deserve that. Have a seat Jyn,” he motions to the seat across from him, shutting the top of his laptop. “You heard I was back, and the first thing you did was decide to hunt me down in a coffee shop.” 

“It’s not like I knew you were back before that masterclass. Rumor has it that Snoke didn’t even tell other faculty who was leading that class. Now he’s milking it for everything it’s worth. They sent something out in the alumni email that same afternoon. And let’s be honest, finding you wasn’t hard. If you weren’t in class or practicing we could always find your ass warming that very seat. I figured you’d show up here sooner rather than later, you’re a creature of habit.” Her eyes dropped to the drink she held, lost in her own head for moment. 

“Jyn?” he says, trying to bring her back into the conversation. When she looks back up at him her eyes still don’t hold the warmth they had years ago, clearly still holding a part of her back from him. He couldn’t blame her, she was right after all, he had up and left with no warning and no goodbye. “Jyn, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. And you’re right, it was a dick move.” 

That brought a smile to her face, “Damn right it was. Do you know how many weeks I showed up here for our weekly coffee, hoping you would show up? Hell, a simple text message to let me know you were OK would have sufficed.” She took a moment from scolding him to gather herself before continuing on, “So, is it true, the infamous Ben Solo is back, now a professor at Berklee?” 

“Temporarily, just until the end of the semester. Then I’m going home, back to St. Louis. Mitaka wanted time off to spend with his wife. And for some insane reason Snoke called me to come fill in for him. Still not sure what actually led me to agree to it, but I did, and here I am.” Ben leans back into the booth, bringing his coffee with him, letting his eyes scan the room again. 

Leave it to Jyn to be the first one to hunt him down, and to know exactly where to find him. She had been his first connection when he came to Berklee, and a constant friend to him, even after she’d left the school. 

_“My name is Jyn Erso, and I am your freshman orientation leader today. Today we’re going to talk about what will go on during your daily campus life, take a tour of campus so you can get an idea of where your classes are and more.”_

_Ben sat back only half listening to the ramblings of the older student in the front of the room and doing his best to shrink down into his seat where he could go unnoticed. Fifteen students were in this assigned group, and fourteen had a parent there with them. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hide for long. She was reading off the names of all the students to make sure the whole group was there. It was just a matter of time before he was called out._

_“Solo, Ben?” she called out, scanning the room for the family. He held his hand up, hoping that would suffice, hoping she would let it pass, perhaps assuming one of the other adults sitting nearby were his. “Hello Ben, Mr. and Mrs. Solo?” Her eyes passed to either side of him, waiting for a response._

_When she didn’t get one her eyes shifted back to him, the question clear in her eyes. He let his eyes plead to her to not say anything, to not corner him in front of everyone. She held his gaze for what felt like an eternity before going back to her list and continuing with the next student. He let out the breath he’d been holding and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to regain a sense of calm. This was going to be a long day._

_Ben knew she had kept an eye on him the rest of the day. Every time they would enter an area that parents and students could explore she would try to talk to him, and each time someone would pull her aside to ask questions. When the orientation was over he shouldered his backpack, eager to make a quick escape. He scanned the room and when he saw no sign of her he quickly departed out a side door, hoping to get away before anyone noticed he’d left._

_“I thought you might try to leave quickly, Ben,” a voice clipped at him as soon as he had shut the door. He looked down to see Jyn, the student ambassador, with her arms crossed over her chest giving a hard look._

_“I, ahh…” he started, not sure what to actually say. This was what he had hoped to avoid by leaving quickly._

_“Save it. Walk with me, Ben. Let’s talk for a few minutes,” she said turning on her heel to leave. He watched her for a moment, considering how to escape now. She threw a pointed look over her shoulder at him and he knew there was no getting out of this. Sighing, he repositioned his backpack to a more comfortable place and crossed the few steps between them, following her out the door._

_They had walked for close to five minutes in silence before coming to sit on a bench outside the 31 Hemenway Street building. He could feel her eyes on him, but he refused to look up, instead fixing his gaze to the buildings across from them._

_“Any reason you came alone today Ben? Parents are supposed to attend with their student. Today was to give them an idea of what your campus life would be like. It’s meant to give them a look into what your life on campus will be like.”_

_Fuck, he didn’t want to talk about this with her, or anyone. He just wanted to leave. He ran his hand across his face, desperate to find an excuse that would get her to leave him alone._

_“Yeah, well, I’m sure my mom knows all about college campus life. Pretty sure at this point she’s either holed up in her office giving a vocal lesson or advising another student on what to do. And my dad, who the fuck knows. He’d have to be around on occasion for me to have any idea of what he’s doing,” he bit out, hating himself for giving the true answer._

_“Oh, is your mom one of the professor’s here? Then it shouldn’t be a big deal. At least she’ll be easily accessible for you.”_

_He couldn’t help the scoff that forced its way from his chest. “No. She doesn’t want me here, and she’s definitely not on staff here. Her students need her, hence her absence. Dr. Leia fucking Organa, New England Conservatory advisor and voice teacher at your service.”_

_The silence lingers after that, but he can’t seem to make his body move. He wants to flee, but he’s pretty sure she wouldn’t let him leave anyway. He drops his head into hands, pushing his emotions down. He won’t break. Not here, not ever. He’s better than this, stronger than this._

_He jumps when her hand comes to rest on his shoulder. “Ben,” she whispers._

_He finally relents and looks at her, fighting to not turn away. The look in her eyes is one he can’t place, almost like she cares. He pushes that thought down too, unable to process it._

_“I’m sorry,” she says, and Ben fights the urge to snap at it. He doesn’t want her pity. “I get it. Families get messy, I know mine was. I don’t need details, but if you want to survive this place, you need someone to go to. College is hard, and this place can be brutal, take it from me.”_

_“I’ll be fine, I have been so far,” he grouses, turning away again, unable to bear the look in her eyes any longer._

_“I’m sure you would be. Still, I would be a bitch if I left a freshman out to flounder when I knew they may need someone.” He could hear her writing something down, then the ripping of paper. Moments later she was shoving a piece of paper in his hand, “That’s my number. If you need anything, before or after you start, just shoot me a text or something. You can also find me in the library every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9pm tutoring for freshman Music Application and Theory. Stop in if you need any help.”_

_With that she finally stood up, shouldering her bag and turning to face him. With a resigned sigh he stood as well, dwarfing her with his size._

_“I, uh…thanks,” he stutters out, still struggling with the entire interaction._

_“No problem. I’ll see you around, Ben.” With a smile she turned and took off back in the direction where they had come from._

_That first Tuesday after class Ben found himself sitting in the back corner of the library study room. He didn’t participate in the tutoring session, he just sat there. He didn’t miss a single one all semester._

“Where’d I lose you to this time?” Jyn asks, watching as he pulls himself back to the present. She still carried the look of a person who cared too easily for a loner, trying to drag him through life whether he wanted it or not. He’d hated it at the time, fighting her every step of the way. 

“Do you remember the first time we met?” he inquired spinning his now empty coffee mug around on the table. 

“How could I forget? Enter stage left, moody and overgrown man-child,” she teased, her eyes lighting up at the memory as well. 

“That’s certainly one to describe me at that point in my life. I’m pretty sure I ever thanked you for that. Not sure I deserved it, but I’m thankful for it, and everything after. You never did let me lie in my own bullshit.” 

“Careful Solo, you’ll make a girl think you care,” she joked, trying to break the tension, but also knowing this was a conversation a long time coming. “You were a child, Ben, barely 18. You needed someone, and I was happy to be the person to give you that support. From the looks of things I think it was time well spent. You seem to have finally grown into yourself, you’ve made something of yourself from what I’ve heard.” 

“Yes, well, let’s be honest, the only place I had to go was up,” he said, sliding his mug to the side leaving his fingers to absently tap out rhythmic patterns a fingers on the table. It was an annoying habit, he’d been told that many times, but it was one he didn’t care to break. “Anyway, enough about me and the past. What about you? What are you doing now? Did you ever pin down that graduate student you were chasing after?” 

That earned him an eye roll, and the blush that crossed her cheeks gave him the answer to that last question. Jyn launched into stories of working in the Pediatric Music Therapy program at Tufts Medical Center. And yes, she did finally wear down Cassian Andor, the graduate student, until he took her out. Married now for five years. Their conversation became easier with each passing minute, sharing stories of what they had been doing in the years since he’d left. 

***

Rey and Rose walked out of their Chamber Singers rehearsal at noon and began the 15 minute walk to join Finn for lunch. Their freshman year Finn and Rey had promised to meet up for lunch at least twice a week. At that time they had each been living in the dorms on their respective campuses, so it gave them an excuse to see each other. Over the years the days, times and locations had changed, depending on their class schedules, but they had continued to meet, even after deciding to share an apartment. Often now they had various friends that joined them, Rose, Kaydel, Kaz, Jessika and more. Rose’s older sister Paige would even join them occasionally when she was available. 

This semester they met every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at a little coffee shop on the Berklee Campus. Rey’s schedule was much more open this year, compared to Finn’s, so she came to him. She had taken several classes over the last two summers so that this final semester she would be able to focus on her senior recital preparation. She maintained her position in a couple of ensembles, the Chamber Singers being one of them, as well as a single music composition class that she had taken to fill an elective she still needed (and also hoped would help her with writing and transcribing songs for The Resistance). 

The friends spent the walk catching up from what had happened over the rest of the weekend. They hadn’t seen each other since Snap’s on Friday night, where Rose had cornered her about the ‘tall, dark and handsome’ guy she had spoken to at the bar when getting their drinks. That meant she had yet to share with her that Ben from St. Louis was the masterclass leader, and she’d been thinking of him in some capacity since then. She spent nearly their entire walk telling Rose everything wouldn’t dare mention to Finn or Poe. Some things had to stay between the girls. 

“Rose, you just...Listening to him talk for those two hours, _his voice_. It was one thing just talking to him at Snap’s, it was loud and so much else happening around us. But to listen to him talk for two hours, it was…”

“Ok, ok, I get it! He’s a virtuoso that can pull the finest nuances from his instrument with gentle strokes across the treble, pleasurable arpeggios and ecstatic fortissimos!” Rose exclaims, laughing at the blush that had crept across Rey’s face, “And the deep baritone of his voice…”

“Stop! Please,” Rey says, realizing how much she had gushed over this man she would likely never see again. It sounded more than a little ridiculous when Rose worded it the way she had. “I get it, I’m done. And I hate you, by the way.” 

“Don’t lie, you love me and my overuse of sexual innuendo in musical terms.” 

“Nope, pretty sure I hate you right now,” Rey said with a smile, knowing Rose already knew she was kidding. “But, seeing as we’re here, I would appreciate you not gushing like that while here with Finn. Those words were for you only.” 

Rey stepped forward and pulled the door open for Rose, following her into the coffee shop moments later. Finn was already there, sitting at their regular table near the front windows with a book of staff paper open in front him. The girls ordered their food, then went to join him. 

“Alright, put that way, Finn, you’re entertainment is here for the next hour. It’s time to relax.” Rose said dropping herself into the chair across from Finn, leaving Rey to take the one next to him. 

“Easy for you to say,” Finn retorts, launching into the details for assignment for his senior composition course.

Rey tuned him out, having already listened to his complaints about the same thing off and on over the last week. She relaxed back in her seat, sipping on the tea she had ordered, while waiting for her sandwich. She let her thoughts slip back to Rose’s words of a virtuoso with gentle strokes. 

This was getting ridiculous. Ben Solo had started to infiltrate her thoughts at a near constant rate, even when she hadn’t intended to let them stray to him. He was a distraction she definitely didn’t need right now, especially since there was only a minuscule chance she would run into him again. What she needed to do was focus on her senior recital, graduating, and finding a job. That’s why she had come here in the first place, right? 

At this moment though she couldn’t find it in herself to fight her wandering thoughts. Dark eyes watching her across the bar, and the rush of something she couldn’t place upon realizing he had continued to watch her until he left. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she had danced a little harder knowing he was watching her, letting her lowered inhibitions from the alcohol guide her. Even sitting here now she could remember the electric feeling she had as his eyes bored into her. 

Trying to reel her thoughts back to the present she realizes she’d been lost in those same dark eyes that had been haunting her thoughts, and they were staring right back. He was right there, in a corner booth watching her as well, ignoring the woman who was sitting across from him and talking. 

“Rey! Did you hear me?” Rose asked, pulling her back into their conversation. Rey quickly turned back to her friends, fighting the blush that she knew was creeping across her face. 

“Sorry, got lost in my thoughts. What’s up?” 

“I asked what your plans are for spring break next week. Are you still planning to stay here?” Rose repeated, “You know it’s not too late to join us. Mẹ and bô would be happy to have you join us.” 

Rose and her family were going to visit her grandparents in California. Rey had gone with them the last couple of years and enjoyed participating in her friends’ Vietnamese traditions, but had decided this year she wanted to stay in home and stay on top of her recital preparation. 

“I appreciate the offer Rose, but you know I want to stay back and continue to rehearse for my recital. Kaz cleared his schedule to give me extra practice time, and I want to take advantage of it,” Rey said, sliding her eyes to the side to see Ben was still watching her. She had to stifle a laugh, covering her mouth her hand, when Ben’s companion reached across the table and gave him a smack to the side of his head to get his attention back. He responded to her in what looked like a short and clipped answer, but both sets of eyes turned to look at her. Unsure of what else to do she gave them both a smile before diverting her attention back to her friends. 

She tried to follow Rose and Finn’s conversation, occasionally throwing in her input on a subject, but found it becoming more difficult with each passing minute. There was something about seeing Ben sitting in that booth that made her want to talk to him. She had been torn about talking to him after the masterclass, part of her wanting to, the other urging her to stay away. Luckily that decision had been made for her since she had been called into work. Now she had no reason not to, and found that the part she’d fought against on Saturday wasn’t there anymore. 

Eventually, the woman he was talking to left, and Rey decided it was now or never. Their paths had crossed three times in four days, and she’d spent plenty of time in between those run-ins thinking about him. Taking a deep breath she steadied her resolve, slung her backpack on her shoulder, grabbed her tea and made her way over to him. It was only after she’d left the table she realized she hadn’t said anything to Rose and Finn. She just knew they had halted their conversation and had turned their heads to see what she was doing. 

***

“May I join you?” her voice cascaded around him like waterfall, sending a rush through him. Ben raised his eyes to meet hers, still shocked to see her here. 

He’d seen her as soon as she entered with her friend and his mind had quickly drifted from his current conversation with Jyn about getting together for dinner the next night so she could introduce him to Cassian. Eventually she had given up, telling him to call or text her when he could focus on a conversation happening in front of him. He’d apologized while putting her new number in his phone, and she laughed while telling him she expected an answer by the next morning so she could plan either way. 

Now Jyn was gone, and _she_ was standing there, asking to sit with him. 

“Yeah, yes. That’s fine, be my guest,” he stuttered out. Smooth Solo, real smooth. He could kick himself for stammering like prepubescent boy talking to a girl for the first time.

She set her bag in the booth first, sliding it against the wall, and following it until she sat directly across from him. 

“I ah, don’t know if you remember me, we met this weekend,” she said, looking as flustered as he felt. “I’m Rey.” 

“I remember, Rey Harris. You performed at Snap’s. And then you sat in my masterclass on Saturday.” He watched as a tinge of pink colored her cheeks. She clearly remembered both events as well, and the smile that crossed her face made his breath hitch for a moment. 

“I….Yes. Both of those.” She didn’t continue past that, and he wasn’t sure where to start, his thoughts still scrambled by her simple presence. Instead they sat there in a comfortable silence that stretched on, stealing occasional glances at each other. Each time their eyes met the pink in her cheeks deepened, and he couldn’t help the surge of happiness that shot through him. 

A shadow cast over their table and both of their heads turned to see Rose standing there. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said, look for all the world like she wasn’t sorry at all. Then her eyes fell to Rey, “It’s time to go. Camerata Rehearsal starts in half an hour.” 

“Shit, I forgot that was today. Thanks Rose,” she said rising from the booth, bag in hand. 

Ben mentally cursed himself for having let the silence between them continue on for so long. Now she was going to leave again, and he had barely said a dozen words to her. She stood by the table lingering for a moment, even after Rose had started heading towards the door. Finally she set her bag back down, withdrawing a piece of paper and pen from inside. 

“Listen, I know I probably shouldn’t do this. You’re a professor, not mine, thank you for small favors,” she said, the last part more to herself. He was sure that hadn’t been meant for his ears. He watched as she quickly scribbled something down on the paper before folding it in half and sliding it over to him. “It was nice seeing you again.” 

With that she practically ran from the coffee shop to catch up with her friend. 

Ben sat there watching the door for several minutes, trying to make sense of the entire interaction. Finally his eyes strayed to the piece of paper laying on the table in front of him. With careful fingers he unfolded it to see her name and phone number written in a loopy cursive across the page. There was no stopping the grin that crossed his face when he realized she’d given him a way to reach her. He quickly programmed the number into his phone, then folded the paper and tucked it into his jacket pocket. 

With a glance at his watch he sighed before packing up his laptop. It was time to head back to his office, and he let thoughts of Rey carry him for the walk back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos mean the world to me and give me the motivation to continue writing. If you like the story please consider sharing with your friends to spread the world.


	5. Chapter 5

Ben set his notebook and pen on the desk before dropping into the chair next to it, leaning back, and closing his eyes. His first week of teaching was finally coming to a close, only ten more weeks left, not that he was counting or anything. Mitaka had stacked his lessons so that he only taught Monday-Thursday, thereby giving himself a three day weekend to be with his ailing wife. It made for a couple of late nights, particularly on Wednesdays and Thursdays when his last lessons didn’t finish until 7pm, but he was looking forward to the three day weekend each week. What would he do? That he didn’t know, but at least he would have the time to himself. 

Right now he knew he should take advantage of being finished for the week and go back to the apartment Snoke had set up for him; but really he was just trading the solitude of his office for solituce elsewhere. It wasn’t a place he would call home, but at this point it was the closest thing he had. It was a small studio apartment about 2 blocks south of campus, allowing him to walk between there and the college. It wasn’t something he would have chosen, but given the short nature of his stay in Boston, it wasn’t worth arguing with Snoke about his accommodations. Besides, the most frustrating thing about the whole space was the lack of a piano for him to use; hardly something to complain about when he had a key to his own office and could just go to the school to play when he felt the need. 

Opening his eyes he looks at the piano, never having been so put off from the instrument as he was at this moment. He loved to play the piano, the feel of the keys as his hands danced across them had almost always been calming for him. As a child, and even in his younger teen years, there had been issues, circumstances that made him push against playing. In the end though he figured out that the music was part of who he was; perhaps not the music that was originally forced down his throat, but music itself turned out to be something he just couldn’t live without. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to play, in fact it would likely help his current mood, but after almost 10 hours of lessons he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Hours upon hours of trying to figure out just what the hell Mitaka had been trying to achieve with these students. 

There was promise for most of them, they just needed a better grasp on some of the more advanced techniques. Then again there was a freshman that was still struggling with the concept of the blues scale, something he should have been asked to play during his audition for this specific program. It was something Ben had gone over with him repeatedly, now he could only hope the information would stay with him. 

Giving up on the idea of practicing himself, Ben gathers his materials and notes into his messenger bag in preparation to leave when his phone pings to alert him to a text message. He didn’t even need to see the name to know it was from Jyn, she was the only person in the area who had his number, and his friends in St. Louis were more likely to call than text. 

**Jyn: There’s a group of us planning to go The Green Dragon tomorrow night for drinks. Want to join us?**

He read the message a few times, fighting the urge to outright decline. He’d just had dinner with her and Cassian on Tuesday night. It had been an enjoyable evening and the food had been great. Jyn ended up working late, so Cassian had cooked up a traditional dish of _Chiles en nogada_ for dinner. It was clear watching Jyn and Cassian that they were completely head over heels for each other, even through their constant teasing of one another. 

He knew Jyn was trying to make him feel welcome, and he was appreciative of the effort. He was glad to have a friend around, two if he counted Cassian, but that didn’t mean he wanted to spend all of his free time with them. And they didn’t need him following them around like the awkward third wheel. 

He also knew it was dangerous to tell Jyn no. He’d tried that in the past and it never ended well for him. For someone so small in stature she exuded power when it was needed, and she knew how to use that power. 

Near the end of his first semester he’d tried to start a fight with another student a year older than himself over something stupid…practice room reservations for the final studio perhaps. She’d happened across them right as he was going to take a swing at the other guy and put herself between the two of them. By the time she was done with them they had both been put the ringer about how to handle themselves, and properly shamed for their behavior as well. 

After that she took Ben to the coffee shop, bought him dinner and talked to him about his quick temper and aggression. It had been there for years, simmering underneath the skin, but he’d just continue to shove it down in an attempt to ignore it. She had wanted him to talk to a professional, but being the idiot he was, he refused. It was then that she forced his hand into talking to someone…her as it turned out. From then on they met once a week in that same spot, her slowly chipping away at him, opening the door so he could walk through when he was ready. It continued on after she graduated, her always taking the time to meet him, to give him someone to open up to. 

Now here she was trying to fit herself right back into that role as if things hadn’t changed. Maybe in some way things hadn’t changed. He was still an asshole at times, and the temper was still there, but thanks to her he had learned coping mechanisms along the way. He’d taken the time to find way to deal with it, most of the time anyway. 

_Ben: Thanks for the invite. Still not sure what my plans are, but I will let you know by noon if I plan to join you._

There, that should work, right? He didn’t say no, and honestly, it’s not like he had anything else to do anyway. There’s a chance he could change his mind and decide to go. It was a slim chance, but it could happen. 

When she didn’t respond right away he set his phone on the desk while he donned his jacket and shouldered his bag. He slips his phone into one pocket while fishing his keys from the other to lock up the office. Finally, he could go and relax. 

****

Back in his studio hangs his bag and jacket on the hook by the door and looks around the space, still struggling to call the place home. Current living situation, yes, but definitely not home. 

Grabbing a beer from the fridge Ben leans back against the counter and takes a long swig from the bottle, pushing away thoughts of the lesson prep he could be doing, but not too concerned since the coming week was Spring Break. Lesson planning. That’s absolutely something he doesn’t want to even consider at this point. He turns to set his drink down in the counter when his eye catch the piece of paper he’d sat there just days prior. 

Rey. 

He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about her since their encounter Monday. She was hard not to think about. Her chestnut hair that hung loose on her shoulders with just the front clipped back out of her face, or her hazel eyes with flecks of green that seemed to shine through when she slide that piece of paper to him, the light dusting of freckles that he’d had a hard time not staring at when she kept her eyes on her tea; yes, he’d spent many hours thinking about her in fact. 

He let his finger trace the numbers on the paper, numbers he had already memorized because he’d sat and stared at it the last couple of nights. He’d gone back and forth with himself about reaching out. He wanted to, he really wanted to, but something had been holding him back. 

Let’s start with why in the world an attractive young woman would want with him. He knew he wasn’t considered a handsome man, awkward lines, long nose and large ears were just a few of things that were off-putting about him. He was damaged, he knew that even if she didn’t, and a young, vivacious woman like her didn’t need to be around a brooding man with the issues he had. 

At the same time, he wasn’t sure how long he could continue to put off reaching out to her. And why should he fight it? _She’d_ been the one to give him her number, _she_ was the one who initiated contact at the coffee shop. _She_ was the one who sat in his booth with him, she wanted him to reach out then…right? 

He shouldn’t, he feels it almost to his bones that he shouldn’t reach out. She’s still a college student and he’s, at least temporarily, a professor. Her words from that brief interaction come back to him, running him over like a train. 

_“Listen, I know I probably shouldn’t do this. You’re a professor, not mine, thank you for small favors.”_

_  
_

Even she knew there was a discrepancy between them, but she was also correct, he’s not her professor. He’s not even a professor at her college. Hell, he’s not even really a professor in the true sense of the word. He never wanted to teach and he doesn’t have a degree in teaching. 

He pulls his phone from his pocket and stares at her number, not quite able to call, something still holding him back. He’d spent years trying to push the impulsive side of himself down, tampering the urges to react before thinking things through. It had served him well too by helping to assuage his temper. 

He buys himself time, taking another long drink from his beer, while deciding what to do. In the end it wasn’t really something that took any thought, he wants to talk to her, and he wants to see her. 

Before he can talk himself out of it again he sends her a brief message then dons his jacket (checking the pockets to make sure he has his wallet, keys and phone) and walks out the door. He’s not sure where he’s going, but he hopes to have a destination in mind soon. 

***

“Kaz, can we run the Saint-Saëns again?” Rey asks, giving her accompanist an apologetic smile. She knew the accompaniment for it was a pain, something Kaz had never let her forget when she first gave him the binder with all of her senior recital music in it. 

They had only been rehearsing for about half an hour, so there was plenty of time, but she still had several songs to run through as well. They had previously made out a detailed schedule for the music she was performing and assigned specific days to rehearse certain songs. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I might think you’re trying to cause me to get tendonitis. These are the hardest pieces you’ve asked me to play to date.” Kaz says with a laugh, flipping back several pages so they can run the song again. It was a true statement, and he’d played several songs for her over the years. They had started at NEC the same year, taking a couple of freshman classes together. He’d offered to accompany her for her first recital when she had started complaining about trying to find someone, and he’s played for her ever since. 

“Damn, you figured me out. And here I was hoping that maybe I would be able to postpone this whole shindig if my accompanist was unable to play!” she replies. That got a laugh out of both of them knowing full well that she neither wanted to put it off, nor would the college allow it. 

A sudden vibration reverberated through the room, causing them both to jump. Rey looked at her phone she’d set aside on the music stand in the corner. The screen was lit up, a number she didn’t recognize blazing across the screen. She motioned to Kaz to give her a minute and grabbed her phone to see who could be sending her a message. 

**Unknown: Hi Rey, this is Ben.**

She almost drops her phone when she sees his name, the realization that Ben is finally reaching out. At this point she had pretty much given up hope of him contacting her. He wasn’t interested, and she was prepared to move on from it. It had only been a handful of meetings, she could totally move past them; so she had begun to push thoughts of Ben to the side as best as she could. 

She’s drawn back to the device in her hand when it suddenly vibrates again. 

**Unknown: Are you busy?**

_Rey: I’m rehearsing for my recital at the moment. I should be done around 8 if you’d like to talk then._

She responds quickly, her pulse quickening a little at the idea of talking to him again. Perhaps she’ll actually hold a conversation this time instead of staring into her cup of tea like she had on Monday. It had been impulsive to even sit with him, something she hadn’t thought through. He was like a magnet, something pulling her toward him and she couldn’t resist. 

**Unknown: I’d like that. I’ll talk to you then.**

_Rey: Yes, until then._

After saving his number Rey shoves her phone into the pouch of her hoodie, trying to suppress the smile crossing her face before turning back to Kaz. 

“So…who’s the guy?” he teases, laughing when she tosses a piece of balled up paper at him. 

“Oh bite me. Just play the damn song Mr. Tendonitis.” 

“Where at sweetheart?” he says, raising an eyebrow to feign flirtation. She knew it was a joke, Kaz had been with his girlfriend Jessika Pava since they were in high school together. It was just a matter of time before he proposed, and everyone was waiting for it. 

“Ughhh. I hate you.” Rey mutters under her breath as he begins to play the introduction. Centering herself, she takes a deep breath to fill her lungs; then with a measured exhale from her diaphragm she begins to sing, _“Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix, comme s'ouvrent les fleurs, aux baisers de l'aurore!_

****

“Thanks again Kaz, I appreciate you being willing to meet so often these last couple weeks,” Rey says while zipping her jacket up and wrapping a light scarf around her neck. Checking the time on her phone she sees it’s already 8:05, and still no call from Ben. A small feeling of disappointment flitted through her at the thought of him possibly changing his mind. 

“Like I would have let anyone else play for you. They’d just screw it up or something,” Kaz says, holding the practice room door open so they could leave. 

“Yeah, probably, that would be just my luck.” She responds, falling into step next him talking over things they can work on at their next rehearsal together. 

They move through the third floor corridor of Jordan Hall that hosts the vocal practice rooms until they reach the Gainsborough Street doors where Rey swipes her student ID to unlock them, checking them out of the building for the evening. After 5pm all students had to swipe their ID’s to get in or out of the building, ensuring that random people off the street couldn’t get into the building when students were often there without any professors on site. It was a change that had happened after her first year at the college, and one she liked. 

After confirming the door was shut Rey turned toward Huntington Avenue when she noticed a figure sitting on the bench under the streetlight. Kaz must have noticed as well, because he quickly placed himself between Rey and the street side where they would pass the stranger. It was late enough that very few on the city folks would be around, just other students, and Rey hadn’t been worried, but she let Kaz do whatever made him feel better. 

As they approached the figure Rey began realized it wasn’t a stranger at all, “Ben?” 

His head quickly turned to them when he heard her voice, rising to his feet as well. 

“Rey. Hi.” He said, coming to stand in front of Rey and Kaz. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jacket, shoulders hunched, and raven colored hair blowing into his face with the breeze. Rey’s breath was taken away at the sight of him. He was tall and broad, something she had known from when she met him at Snap’s, but had forgotten since then. To say she was surprised to see him there didn’t even cover it, just his presence was enough to throw her off kilter. 

“Ben.” Rey cringed inwardly at how lame she sounded simply repeating his name again. “Ben, this is my friend and accompanist, Kazuda Xiono. Kaz, this is Ben Solo, he was at the masterclass I went to with Finn.” There, that was better, right? No need to let Kaz know Ben taught the class, she wasn’t sure how he would take that. 

“Nice to meet you Ben,” Kaz says, extending his hand towards the taller man. He takes his time watching Ben, trying to make some sort of connection in his mind. Rey sees Ben tense under the scrutiny, taking pity on the man. He clearly had come without expecting to see anyone else. “Ben Solo. That sounds familiar, have I seen you around here before?” 

“Unlikely. I live in St. Louis, just here for work temporarily,” Ben responds, quickly pulling his hand away, placing it back in his pocket before turning to Rey. “Are you still up for that conversation on the way home?” 

She feels her cheeks heat up and burrows her face into her scarf for a moment in an attempt to hide it. Kaz catches her gaze as she lifts her head, quirking his eyebrow to see if it was something she wanted. 

“I would like that,” she says, turning to give Kaz quick hug. “I’ll see you Sunday to rehearse. Thanks again Kaz.” 

“Anything for you sweetheart.” With that Kaz turns to make his way home. 

“Hey! Don’t forget to tell Jessika hi for me!” Rey yells after him. He waves his arm in the air, an acknowledgement to her and continues on his way, quickly making his way down a couple blocks and turning out of sight. 

With Kaz gone a silence once again falls between the two. Rey turns back to Ben, surprised to see him staring at the ground as if he’s unsure of what to do with himself. Taking advantage of his distraction she takes a moment to get a closer look at him under the streetlamps. The lights cast shadows over his face making him look almost harsh, his jaw and brow lines more defined, stronger looking. The urge to trace her fingers along that jawline hit her like a line drive at Fenway Park. Instead she shoved her hands down in her pockets, tampering that urge under the guise of keeping her hands warm in the quickly dropping evening temperatures. 

With a step forward, Rey brushes her shoulder against Ben to get his attention. Startled from his thoughts he quickly raises his eyes to meet hers, a crooked half-smile gracing his face, and Rey can’t help the smile that rises from her as well. 

“You know, when you said you wanted to talk, I didn’t expect you to show up here,” Rey says, beginning to walk in the direction of her shared apartment with Ben falling into step with her. 

“I ahh, shit. Sorry. Maybe I should have asked first.” He stutters out, rubbing the back of his neck like he was worried he’d made a mistake. “I can go, if you’d prefer?” 

“No!” The word flies out of her mouth a little too quickly, and the look his gives her makes her insides give a little flip. “No. This is great, and the company is appreciated.” She presses the crosswalk button at Huntington Avenue, and they have to wait for the lights to change so they can cross. 

“OK. Good.” They pass over Huntington and continue north along Gainsborough, leaving the school behind them. “You mentioned practicing for your recital. How’s that going?” 

The prompt pushed Rey into gushing over her excitement about nearing the end of her days at NEC, eager to have this final recital behind her. The nerves are there, will she do well? What if she gets up there and forgets the words to her songs? Nearly every song is in some language that she’s only ever sang in, and some of the pronunciations are a nightmare. Not to mention the idea of singing for 90 minutes, with only a 10 minute break in the middle is just as exhausting and taxing as it sounds. 

“I mean, my voice teacher has always pushed me. She’s has the best intentions, and I know that. But seriously, some of these songs are ones that I had only ever dreamed of singing. Here I am as a senior trying to sing stuff done by the biggest mezzo-sopranos the world has ever known. María Callas, Louise Homer, Giulietta Simionato…” she stops suddenly, realizing she was rambling on. “Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear all about these dead opera singers that I could only hope to hold a candle to.” 

“Actually, I find your enthusiasm for your craft refreshing. It explains a lot about your singing at Snap’s on Friday. I wish more of my students had that kind of passion for what they’re working on.” 

“Maybe your students will come around? Wait, what do you mean in explains my singing at Snap’s? There was nothing wrong with my singing, everything was perfectly in tune.” 

He laughs at her sudden indignation at the thought of her singing being less than perfect. “I didn’t mean any offense, calm down. But knowing now that you’re a studying opera, it says a lot. You sing jazz like an opera singer.” He sees her bristling at the comment, surely about to throw a comeback at him. “It’s not a bad thing. Just an honest observation. You’re right, every note was perfectly in tune, almost too perfect. Your intonation, pitch, hell, even your vibrato was all exact. But jazz isn’t exact, the imperfections and improvisations are part of the music, they tell the story as well.” 

“Ok, thanks for that jazz lesson, Professor Solo, the blues pianist.” She teases, missing the sudden hitch in his breathing when she called him Professor Solo. Her annoyance at the comment of her singing too perfectly is playing over in her head. That’s what she’s been trained to do. You don’t sing Bizet’s _Seguidilla_ without being exact in your form. It was demanded of the piece, the expectation was perfection, and she’d be damned if she didn’t meet that expectation. 

“Rey, stop over thinking it. I wasn’t insulting your singing, I actually enjoyed it very much. It was just an observation I had made.” Ben stopped walking, resting his hand on her shoulder for a moment so she would stop with him. “Truly, it was beautiful.” 

It was then that the ground became very interesting to Rey while she was trying to compose her thoughts under his intense gaze. Finally she raises her eyes to meet his again, the sight of them leaving her breathless. At a distance she had always likened them to being dark, but being close like this proved that to be so very wrong. They weren’t dark, not now. No, they were warm and rich, like a bourbon whiskey that had been well aged in a new charred-oak cask. 

“Thank you,” she breathes once she finally remembers how to inhale and exhale. After several moments she averts her gaze back to front, and they resume their trek to her apartment, which she can now see about a block ahead. 

“You know, if you had been paying attention during my masterclass you would know jazz and blues aren’t all that different. They’re kind of like musical cousins, developing side by side. Blues is both a musical art form and a music genre based around a specific chord progression, while jazz is defined as a musical art form that is much broader. It encompasses everything from the late 19th century ragtime of Scott Joplin to modern fusion music. When I play with others it’s typically in a blues style, often heavier on the guitar, but if you really wanted to get technical when I solo it’s more of a boogie woogie. That’s really the only exclusively piano music to come from the blues and similarities…” he trails off turning to look at her, seeing she’s stopped in front of a brown brick building. “Shit, now I’m rambling. Sorry.” 

She shakes her head at him, a smile falling on her lips that says his rambling doesn’t bother her at all. 

“This is me.” She says, gesturing to the looming building. “And don’t apologize, it’s fascinating, and admittedly something I know very little about. It’s obvious though that you are both passionate and knowledgeable about it. It’s nice.” 

Rey watches and he runs his hand through his hair, wondering not for the first time whether it’s out of a need to remove his hair from his face, or just a nervous habit. Possibly both. 

“Thank you for letting me walk you home,” he finally says, not sure how to hold on to this moment now that they’ve arrived. His eyes looking almost panicked at what to do next. 

“I enjoyed it, you. Talking with you.” _Damnit_ she thinks, he’s got her feeling like a flustered teenager, not sure how to act in the presence of a boy. Although he was most certainly _not_ a boy. 

“Listen, this might seem, well. I enjoyed this too, and if you’re open to the idea, I’d like to see you again.” 

Rey fought against the urge to blush. “Yes, I’d like that too. I don’t know your teaching schedule for tomorrow, but I’m free after Camerata rehearsal wraps at 3pm.” 

She watches as his eyes, hopeful, lit up under the yellow glow of the street lamps. 

“3pm. That would be great, I can meet you in there if you’d like?” 

“That would be great.” On an impulse Rey raises onto her toes, bracing herself with her right hand on his arm, and leaves a chaste kiss on his lower jaw, the highest to could reach even with him still standing slightly hunched over. “I’ll see you then, Ben Solo.” She whispers, then bounds up the stairs to the entrance of her building, leaving him shocked in the middle of the sidewalk. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, they finally get some one on one time where they actually converse with each other!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it might be my favorite yet, although there's lots to come, and I hope each chapter is better than the one before. 
> 
> Your comments, and kudos are the best, please keep them coming!
> 
> You can also follow me on Twitter @piano_lily where I will be posting links to the different songs mentioned throughout the story.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. They truly mean so much to me, and I'm so happy you're all enjoying this story. I apologize for it being a few days later than normal, some unexpected things came up and I was was without a computer for several days. 
> 
> Special thanks to my dear friend maskaracakes for listening to me bemoan over different aspects of this chapter and where I wanted it to go. And for her encouragement to continue with it, even when I felt it was getting too long at one point. Also a huge thanks to nancylovesreylo who continues to offer her support across multiple platforms.

Rey still couldn’t wrap her head around the prior night. When it had started her only plans were to rehearse with Kaz then go home and finish up an assignment for her composition class, maybe binge watch some Netflix since Poe and Finn were at the bar down the street to watch the Bruins game. Instead she got so much more than that. 

Once she was safely inside her apartment on the 4th floor she had scrambled for her phone to text Rose, needing to talk to someone about it. She wasn’t sure what had led to kiss him, even if it was only on his jaw. Ever since then she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what it felt like. What _he_ felt like. His arm under her hand had felt muscular, not overly so, but enough for there to be clear definition under her grasp. And his skin was soft, with just a hint of stubble that had made an appearance since his morning shave. 

She and Rose had talked for over an hour, her homework forgotten in her bag. In hindsight it’s a good thing Spring Break is next week, she’ll have time to work on it later. 

Now Rey finds herself in Camerata Rehearsal wishing it would wrap up quicker. Dr. Holdo stood in the front of the rehearsal chamber addressing the tenors about a line of music that was particularly difficult, having them run it a few times alone. Five minutes to go, she could do this. Five more minutes of focus and she would be able to see Ben, assuming he shows up like he said he would. 

Rey averts her eyes from the clock in an effort to focus on the music in front of her, Vivaldi’s _Magnificat, RV 610_. Today they had been on the third movement _Et Misericordia ejus_ , and she found her mind constantly wandering to when it would be over. Two rows in front of her she sees Rose turn back and give her look that said she knew exactly what Rey was thinking about. With a roll of her eyes Rey checks the clock again, three minutes. Not that she’s counting or anything; really, she isn’t. 

Rey’s jerked from her thoughts as she hears the scramble of other singers closing their music and making their way to their bags. 

“Did you catch a single thing we worked on today, or was your mind on other things?” Rose says with a knowing look as she comes to a stop next to Rey with both of their bags. She really must have been out of it, she hadn’t even heard Dr. Holdo dismiss them. After closing her music and placing it in her bag Rey shrugs on her jacket, eager to go find Ben. 

“Miss Harris, Miss Tico, a word with you both please?” Dr. Holdo says, approaching them and taking a seat on the bench in front of them. The girls look at each other before taking their own seats, facing their conductor. “I wanted to ask why neither of you auditioned for the solos in the Vivaldi. I have to say I’m a little disappointed that you didn’t.” 

“Dr. Holdo, I have never auditioned for a Camerata solo, why start now?” Rose says with a cheeky grin. Rey knows she’s right, Rose prefers not to solo in the group performances. She does fantastic for her recitals alone, but she simply refuses to solo with the choirs. Dr. Holdo shakes her head, clearly not happy with the answer, but turns to Rey and waits for hers. 

“I’m sorry, I thought about it, I really did. But with all the preparation for my recital, I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to take on anything more right now.” There was definitely truth in her answer, Rey was worried about her recital. It didn’t matter how many times Dr. Organa or Kaz told her she was ready, she was still doubting parts of it herself. 

“I see. Well, as I said, I wish you had, you would have done so well with these solos. And Leia tells me you have nothing to worry about for your recital. Just relax Miss Harris,” she says with a comforting smile. “And if you need any help just let me know. I know Leia is taking good care of you, but my door is always open as well.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Holdo. That means a lot.” 

The sound of the door opening had all three women’s heads turning to see who had entered. There wasn’t another choral rehearsal scheduled for the day, so there shouldn’t be anyone else. Before Rey can register seeing _him_ standing there Rose is jabbing her in the side with an elbow. 

He looked amazing. Delectable, like a dessert she would want to take her time and savor. And it was that thought, that rabbit hole that those thoughts led down that caused Rey to look at the ground as a flush made its way across her face. When she was able to look at him again, she took in every facet of him; his dark washed jeans that fit so well they could have been painted on, a red henley shirt with a black leather jacket that one had was shoved into while the other held the door open. She also saw the moment his face went from relaxed with a half-smile pulling at one corner of his mouth, to reserved with tension around his eyes and his mouth drawn tight. 

“Benjamin Solo. What a surprise to see you here.” Dr. Holdo said, quickly rising to her feet and moving to stand in front of him and giving him a hug, one he didn’t return. If anything it caused him to tense up more. He’d released the door, letting it fall closed, his arm dropping to his side. Rey watches the interaction closely, curious about how her professor knows this man. Snoke had mentioned at the masterclass that he originally hailed from Boston, but she hadn’t given much thought to the people here he must know. And clearly he knew Dr. Holdo. 

“Amilyn,” was his only response, his eyes darting from her to Rey, a look in them she had yet to see from him. Worry? Fear? Nerves? She wasn’t sure. What she did know is that it bothered her to see him looking so upset. Unable to bear the look anymore, Rey puts her backpack over one shoulder and walks over to him quickly, taking his hand in hers. 

“Ben!” She says with a wide smile, trying to ease his obvious discomfort at the current situation. “I’m so glad you came. Are you ready to go?” 

“Yes, whenever you are.” 

She was relieved to see his shoulders visibly relax when she had joined them. His eyes locked on to hers, lighting up as the tension creases disappeared. It sent a thrill through her that she could do that for him. She could also feel Dr. Holdo’s eyes on them, even though she herself had eyes only for Ben. 

“I’m ready.” Finally turning her attention back to Dr. Holdo she’s surprised to see a look of not only inquiry, but also thoughtfulness on her face. It’s obvious Dr. Holdo knew something she didn’t, but right now she didn’t care. She just wanted to get Ben away from a situation that was clearly making him uncomfortable. “Thank you for the offer to help Dr. Holdo, I’ll keep that in mind. Have a great Spring Break!” 

Rey quickly pulled Ben out of the room through the door Rose held open. Before they could make it to the stairwell only two doors down Dr. Holdo stepped out of the room and to speak to them again. 

“Ben,” that one word frozen him where he was again, his hand gripping Rey’s like a vice. He didn’t turn his head to look at her, but Rey did. “Call your mother, Ben. Or better yet, go up and see her. She misses you so much.” 

Whether that was what he’d expected her to say or not, it clearly was something he didn’t want to hear. He gave a stiff nod where he stood, then he was the one dragging Rey up to the stairs to flee the building as quickly as possible. She was shocked at how well he seemed to know the building, he moved through the hallways and staircases like a man who had taken them several times before. 

_Maybe he has?_ The thought passes through her mind quickly, and she nearly pushes it aside, but it makes sense. He and Dr. Holdo clearly knew each other, and she had said to go up and see his mother. His mother. 

Rey knew he had to have a mother, everyone is born to one, but the way Dr. Holdo made it sound was as though he hadn’t spoken to his for an extended period of time. She couldn’t fathom why you would intentionally distance yourself from your family. She had always longed to know hers, and here was a man that seemed to be avoiding his. 

His mother was at NEC. If what Dr. Holdo said was true Rey had possibly, even probably seen her around before, maybe had her as an instructor at some point. As he pulled her to the doors that exit onto Huntington Avenue she continued to wrack her brain for any professor with the name Solo, but she couldn’t come up with any. Surely she would have recognized the name if she’d had a professor with that name. She couldn’t even think of a single professor that came close to Ben’s size in stature, female or male. 

When they emerge from the building Rey finally comes to a stop, pulling back on Ben’s hand to make him stop with her, worried he might continue to flee without thinking about what he’s doing. Rose comes to a stop next to her, having followed them on their mad dash through the building. 

“Ben, stop. Please, stop.” Rey says, giving his hand another light tug, but it’s enough. He finally stops, turning to face her, his eyes immediately softening when he sees her. 

“Shit, Rey. I’m sorry. Are you OK?” He asks, looking her over carefully. 

“I’m fine, honestly. Are you OK?” She’s watching his face as so many emotions seem to cross it, one after another. His hand still holds hers, engulfing it in his much larger one. His hand is trembling as if he’s barely holding himself together at the moment. The nearly imperceptible nod he gives her has her dropping her backpack and pulling her hand from his to wrap her arms around him. She was wrong, it’s not just his hand that was trembling; his entire body is shaking with this emotion that was coursing through him. 

She’s not sure how long they stood there, and it didn’t matter. They likely would have continued to stand there but a car horn next to them startled them both from the embrace. Rey threw the driver an annoyed look until she realized who it was. 

“Paige!” she cried, letting go of Ben who gave her one of his half smiles she was starting to become addicted to. She ran over to the passenger door and leaned in to give Rose’s older sister and awkward hug. 

“Hi Rey! Who’s Mr. Tall, dark and handsome?” she asked playfully. 

“Hands off.” 

“Damn. Guess I’m going to have to pry that information from Rose then, huh? Good thing we have plenty of time on the plane for me to pester her.” 

“Good Luck with that, I’ve sworn her to secrecy.” Rey says, then pulls herself from the car to give Rose a hug as well. “Be safe in Cali without me, text me when you land. And tell your grandparents hello for me.” 

“You got it. And you enjoy your break as well.” Rose says, glancing over the Ben who is watching the whole exchange with a look of humor on his face. 

“I plan on it. Now get out of here. Go have fun with your family.” With a final hug Rose joins her sister in the car and they pull away. Rey watches them drive off, then turns back to Ben who is watching her carefully. “Do you mind if we swing by my apartment to drop off my music before we head out? I’m not sure what you want to do, but I’d rather not drag this around if I don’t have to.” 

“That’s fine. To be honest I didn’t have a specific plan in mind. I just wanted to see you again,” he says, walking up with her bag slung over one shoulder, and holding his hand out to her. 

Rey takes his hand and they begin to make their way to her apartment. The conversation is light, it’s easy, as natural as breathing. They talk about how their mornings had gone, the music Rey was working on for Camerata, the topics flowing easily from one to the next. But in the back of her mind Rey kept wondering about what had happened at Jordan Hall. But Ben was smiling again now and it was infectious, she didn’t want to dampen that right now. 

As they finally approached her apartment she could hear Finn and Poe on the inside and mentally smacked herself at the thought of making Ben deal with them already. 

“Sorry in advance if my roommates are obnoxious. They mean well, and are really great actually, but hey can be a bit much. Just a warning,” she says before pushing the door open to reveal the two guys sitting on the couch with a book of manuscript paper between them. Rey had seen this many times. They would sit down and attempt to write some new music for The Resistance only for it to devolve into arguments about chord progressions, lame lyrics until it ends with them drinking and vowing to try again another time. 

Both heads shot up when she opened the door, quickly moving past her to Ben who followed her in. 

“Hello boys,” she says, trying to draw the attention back to herself, not sure how Ben would handle dealing with these two. “Any luck on that new song?” 

Their raised eyebrows told her they knew she was trying to distract them, much like she knew it wasn’t going to work. She still had to try, right? 

Poe was the first to move, standing and joining them near the door. “You know how it goes Rey, we’re going to argue over it for days until you come and actually play mediator,” he said giving her a hug before turning to Ben and offering his hand to him. “Poe Dameron.” 

“Ben Solo. Nice to meet you.” 

Rey watches them for a moment, relieved that Poe isn’t already peppering Ben with twenty about why he’s here with Rey. Their conversation seems to be on safe ground as Poe asks Ben what he does, and Ben reciprocates with an answer before inquiring about what Poe does. 

Taking advantage of their distraction she slips away to her room to drop her backpack off. She hears footsteps following her, already knowing it Finn who’s closing the door behind them. 

“What the hell are you doing with Ben Solo?” he asks, jumping right into what’s bothering him. “Rey, he’s a professor. You sat in his masterclass. The guy has to be at least 10 years older than you. And from what I’ve heard around campus he's a bit of an ass to his students.” 

Rey can’t help the look of annoyance that she knows crosses her face during Finn’s brief tirade. She knows he means well, he’s like the brother she never had and he worries like one. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t get annoyed when he does this. 

“Finn, shut up,” she finally snaps at him. “What I’m doing is spending the afternoon with him, not that it’s any of your business. Yes, I know he’s a professor, a temporary professor, but that’s at Berklee, not NEC, so there’s no concern there. And do you honestly think I care about what the students over there are saying about him? You know my past. And you know damn well that I won’t stand for someone treating me like shit. I’ve had enough of that over the years.” 

His shoulders sag as he takes in her words, knowing he’d been out of line. 

“I’m sorry, Peanut. I just…”

“I know Finn. And thank you. It’s nice to have a family who cares, but you have to let me do this stuff on my own. I’m a big girl.” 

“I know, I know. I think it just caught me off guard. I know you went and talked to him Monday at the coffeehouse, but I wasn’t expecting him to show up here with you. Just, be careful? He’s only here for the rest of the semester. It’s likely he’ll go back to wherever he came from after that.” Rey didn’t want to think about the truth behind those words. She knew Finn was right, but a part of her didn’t care. There was just something about Ben that both pushed those fears aside, but also worried about the practicality of risking herself for a man who would likely leave in a couple months. 

“I will be, I promise,” she says giving Finn a hug before opening the door to head back out to save Ben from Poe. 

***

Ben did his best to maintain a neutral look on his face. The shock of seeing Amilyn that morning still hadn’t fully worn off. He probably should have considered the chances of running into either her or his mother when he said he’d meet Rey at NEC, but he hadn’t. He’d only had one thing on his mind, seeing her again. 

The previous night he’d stood outside her apartment building for a solid five minutes after she’d gone in, rooted in place by the feeling of her lips against his jaw. It had been like a fire igniting within him, a rush of something he’d never felt before, but that he wanted to hold onto and never let go. Even now he could still feel the ghost of that kiss, however brief, as if it was still there. It had stayed with him all night, and even through his frustration at seeing Amilyn. 

Now he’s standing here as one of her roommates, Poe if he recalls, trying to maintain a conversation that he just can’t focus on. He hears Poe mention that plays bass for the BSO, and he knows it should bother him, but right now his mind is elsewhere. The last hour had caught him off guard, and he just wanted to relax and spend time with Rey. 

She finally emerges, her other roommate following behind her, and comes to Ben’s side slipping her hand into his. 

“All set?” he asks her, averting his eyes from Poe down to her. 

“Yes,” she says, giving his hand a squeeze. “I’ll see you guys later,” she says as they turn and leave. He can hear them talking as the door closes, but pays it no mind. All he can think about is how her hand feels in his. It’s small, but his doesn’t dwarf hers. Instead it’s more like they fit together naturally, hers just small enough that it nestles within his, like it was made to go there. It’s a stupid thought, one that he should know better than to have. 

“Sorry about that again. Poe can be a bit relentless if someone doesn’t keep him on a leash,” she says as they step out onto the sidewalk. 

“It’s fine. Sounds like some of the people I know back home. How did you meet them? Your roommates, I mean” 

“Oh, that could be a long story.” 

“I’ve got nothing but time,” he says giving her some encouragement. He wants to know everything about her. Whatever scraps she’s willing to give. 

“Well, ok. I actually knew Finn when we were younger. I, uh, well, _we_ grew up in the foster care system. I was moved around a lot for the first couple of years, but by 3rd grade I had settled into the home I would stay in until I aged out. It wasn’t nice but, oh hell, you don’t want that story right now. 

“Anyways, Finn and I had gone to the same school and been friends. Before middle school he got moved again, to another family across town, although I didn’t know that at the time. One day he just stopped showing up to school and I didn’t see him for years. 

“Then our freshman year of high school we ran into each other at Solo & Ensemble. It was completely by chance. He’d been passing time between his performances and came to watch a friend of his who happened to be in the same room I was performing it. 

“We sat around the rest of the day catching up, it was almost like the years between hadn’t been there. He’d introduced me to some of his friends as well, one of which was Poe. He was a senior at the time, but they had hit it off. Anyway, Finn and I traded numbers that day and stayed in contact ever since. We both lived in dorms our first year in college, but after that we decided to get an apartment. Poe was NEC as well and planned on auditioning with the Boston Symphony Orchestra when he graduated, so we just decided to all room together. It’s been like that ever since. Honestly, they’re the closest thing to a family I’ve ever had.” 

“That’s….wow. It’s amazing you guys found each other again.” He’s at a loss about what to say. Her hesitation in talking about her final foster home leads him to believe it wasn’t a pleasant experience. He doesn’t want to pry, but he hopes that maybe she will open up about it eventually. She clearly had persevered through her past and it awed him to no end. 

They continue to walk for a while, no real destination in mind. In hindsight Ben realizes that perhaps it would have been a good idea to think of something to do, but that’s already past. Now they are here, walking through the streets of Boston hand in hand, and she doesn’t seem bothered by their lack of plans. Instead they just enjoy each other’s company. 

She tells him about how she remembers seeing a video of Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli and Placido Domingo singing _Non ti scordar di me_ at the Remembering Pavarotti concert when she was younger. That was the moment she knew she wanted to sing opera; that she had always enjoyed singing, but that video was what changed her. After that she’d thrown herself into learning everything she could, practicing every chance she got. 

As the sun starts to lower towards the horizon they duck into a small Thai restaurant to get some dinner. They’re seated in a booth near the back. Sitting across from each other allows him the chance to get to watch her now, something he couldn’t do as they were walking. He’d stolen looks at her as often as possible, distracted by her laugh, or her hair blowing free from its tie. 

After ordering their food she reaches across the table and takes his hand again, her face taking on a softer look. 

“Ben, I’ve been wanting to ask.” Instinctively he tenses, already preparing for the worst. “I just, I wanted to make sure you’re OK, you were so upset earlier. I was worried about you. I know it’s none of my business, not really…”

“It’s fine,” he interrupts her. Running his free hand through his hair he considers how to answer her question. “I’ve known Amilyn Holdo for as long as I can remember. She was, is still, a good friend of my mother’s. And as she made abundantly clear, I haven’t spoken to either in years. I didn’t leave things well when I left Boston.” 

He can’t look her in the eye now, but he feels her squeeze his hand in reassurance. 

“I’m sorry, Ben. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” 

“No, I said it was fine. It’s just not something I like to talk about. Now that Amilyn knows I’m back in town I’m sure she ran straight to my mom to tell her. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if Amilyn tries to pin you down after break about why I was there to see you.” 

He finally looks up at her in time to see her shrug her shoulders, the look of concern in her eyes is palpable. Her hazel eyes are like a melt of autumn tones, warm and soft. 

“That’s fine, she can ask, doesn’t mean I have to tell her anything. Whatever this is between us, I hope there’s something here anyway, it’s none of her business anyway. And I have no problem telling her that. She’s one of my directors, that’s all.” 

He chuckles at the thought of this woman telling Amilyn Holdo to do anything. It’s not that she’s wrong, it’s absolutely none of Amilyn’s business, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try. There’s also a good chance his mother tries to find out who she is, if they don’t already know each other. 

That thought gives him even more pause. What if they do know each other? NEC is a small college, the average enrollment for both undergraduate and graduate combined is less than 800 students. The more he thinks about it the probability of them knowing each other is almost a guarantee, and he’s not sure how to feel about that. 

“How do you like it at NEC?” He asks, needing to know. 

“I love it. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be. They’ve taken such good care of me, supporting me and teaching me. I actually met my advisor before ever going to school there. She had been my judge at Solo & Ensemble my senior year. I still don’t know what she saw in me, but on my adjudication sheet she left her contact information asking me to reach out. 

“I hadn’t planned on it at first, I had no idea who she was. But my choir director pushed me to email her. He actually pulled me from homeroom one day and made me email her there, worried that I wouldn’t. He’s right, I probably wouldn’t have. Anyway, she’s the one I have to thank for being at NEC. We set up a meeting where she asked about my goals and what I wanted to do, then guided me through the process and even helped me prepare my audition pieces. 

“She couldn’t be on my admissions panel because of it, but I truly think without her help I wouldn’t have gotten in. I even got a scholarship, no doubt thanks to her help. I was so happy when the assigned her as both my advisor and vocal coach after I got in. I owe Dr. Organa so much.” 

He knew without a doubt, before he ever mentioned her name, that his mother and her advisor were one in the same. He’d seen his mother do this before, as both a child and adolescent. Finding a student and giving them all of her attention. He’d never known her to pick one out before they were already at the college, but it was still her same M.O. 

But now he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. She’d said her name even. 

Now he was left to figure out what to do. He likes this girl. In a week’s time she had already weaseled herself into his life, igniting something within him that he wasn’t even sure was there anymore. Her spirit and presence was intoxicating, pulling him into her orbit like the sun’s gravity pulled the planet’s into its. She was his sun, her name fitting. 

He didn’t know what she felt exactly. Hell, he didn’t know what he felt exactly. But it was something that he wanted to fight for. Even at the risk of having to deal with his mother, he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk away from her. 

Instead he fought to find the words to tell her. He couldn’t lie to her, he knew the truth would come out, it was a matter of time. Between all the time she spends with his mother for lessons, rehearsals with Amilyn, and all the time he wanted to spend with her, he knew she would find out. He wanted to be the one to tell her, to give her a chance to back out of this now before he became even more invested in whatever this was. 

“Well, I’m pleased my mother’s advice has helped you so much.” 

Her eyes grow wide at his confession, her pink lips parting as she tries to come up with something to say. The only thing that keeps him from running from the table is the fact that she doesn’t pull her hand away from him. It’s still here, nestled within his, and he gently rubs his thumb across the top hoping it will bring her a small comfort. 

“How long have you known?” She finally asks, her voice small and shaky. 

“I didn’t. At least not until today, just now really. I figured you had probably seen each other around the campus before, it’s not a large school, but before today I hadn’t really thought about it. But seeing Amilyn, and her comment about going up to see my mother made me think about it more. I started to have my suspicions. You confirmed it though when you said her name.” 

“I…wow.” Rey’s eyes scan the room before meeting his, the warmth in them seems to grow until they are more like glowing orbs. “I’m glad you told me. I knew she had a son, I’ve heard her talk about him. About you, I guess. For what it’s worth, I think Dr. Holdo is right, you should go talk to her. It’s not any of my business, I know that. But I also know she misses you; and for years I have always hoped to have someone care and miss me the way she does you.” 

“Rey, there’s a lot of history there. Maybe one day soon I can share some of it with you. I’m not sure I’m ready to see her yet, but I will take it into consideration.” 

She smiles again, and it sets his body alight, pushing away the dark thoughts of his past that had started to creep up on him. 

Once their food finally arrives the conversation takes a lighter turn, this time to some of the places Ben has been to play piano. Cities he’d visited before settling down in St. Louis. 

When they’re finished he pays the bill, with much arguing from Rey about her being able to pay for her own food. He brushes it off with a reminder that he invited her out, and he wants to do this. 

Once they exit the building she forgoes taking his hand. Instead she wraps an arm around and pulls herself in under his arm. Instinctively he wraps his own arm around her shoulder, securing her exactly where he wants her to be, against him. He lowers his face to the top of her hair, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. Inhaling deeply he can’t ignore the wonderful scent that is uniquely her, honey and coconut. It’s easily the best thing he has ever smelled. 

She pulls herself closer to him, leaning her head against him now. After taking time for one more kiss to the top of her head, taking in her wonderful scent again, they set off to weave their way through the streets of Boston and back to her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also follow me on Twitter [Piano_Lily](https://twitter.com/piano_lily). I like to links to the different music they are talking about about and performing. I also have polls for different parts of the story, right now you can vote for what dress Rey will wear for her senior recital that is coming up in a few chapters.
> 
> As always, your comments are always welcome. I look forward to hearing from all of you. And please remember to share this if you're enjoying it!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your wonderful comments! And thank you to maskaracakes for tolerating my constant worrying about what comes next.

Spring break had come to an end far too quickly. Soon enough Ben found himself walking back to the Berklee campus for another week of lessons, his mind still lost to the events over the past week.

One thing Ben had learned quickly about Rey was that she was a hard worker, and over the course of spring break he had got to see that first hand. Each morning she would head to campus to practice for her recital. He’d gone with her on Monday, eager to simply sit and listen as she worked through various lines of music.

She was stunning, even when she was practicing. Focused, her attention unwavering. Other students would walk by the room waving or try to stop for conversation. She would simply wave back, then continue on with what she was doing. Ben had sat on a chair in the corner of the room just listening and watching her. 

He’d known she was an opera singer from the first notes she’d sang at Snap’s. There’s a certain quality to singing opera that you don’t get in other styles of music. It’s a specific style of singing that accepts little or no variation in tone quality, volume, breath control, even down to physical posture. And Rey had all of it down to an art. She wasn’t just good, she was fantastic; possibly one of the best he’d ever heard, and his mother was Leia Organa. 

This was the first time he’d got to hear her sing like this though, and it was celestial. The control she held over her voice was magnificent. From the first notes she’d sang he’d been enraptured with her, but now he feared he may already be completely lost to her.

By 11 each day she would finish her practicing, and have a quick lunch before going to work. Each evening when her shift was done he would meet her outside the restaurant where she worked so he could walk her home. Most of those evenings were then spent sitting at the small table in her kitchen where she would diligently work on her composition homework that seemed to move between flowing easily from her pencil to her agonizing over if she was doing it correctly. 

More than once he’d offered to look over it for her to see if there was something he could help her with. That perhaps a second set of eyes would aid her in solving her frustrations with it. Each time she would turn him down stating it was her assignment and she wanted to do it for herself. 

He found her stubbornness on the topic oddly endearing, and perhaps a little infuriating. He would have much rather spent the time getting to know her more, learning about her past, as well as her goals for the future. There was time for that later though, he supposed. It’s not as if they didn’t talk at all. All their walks from one place to another afforded them the time, but he found himself greedy, wanting more of her time. 

Thursday afternoon found them in one of the larger practice rooms on the NEC campus with Finn and Poe. The Resistance was scheduled to play the next night, at Snap’s again and were wanting to practice. From what Rey had told him they had been playing regular gigs there for the last year, every two weeks. This was going to be the last one until after her senior recital though. She wanted to spend her time focusing on her recital, not preparing for something she wasn’t sure would continue after graduation anyway. 

She had invited him to come listen, and with little else to do (and nothing else he particularly wanted to do) he’d accepted. In many ways it was like a comedy show watching them practice. Their familiarity with one another aiding them, but also distracting them. There was a constant banter that spoke of how close the trio really was, and Ben found himself happy that Rey had these two in her life...even if he didn’t really understand them. 

It was during that rehearsal that things between the two of them seemed to crest into something more.

_”Rey, you’re doing it again.” Poe ground out in frustration, this has clearly been an ongoing issue for them._

_Ben knew what he was talking about. She sang jazz like an opera singer. He’d told her that once, and it still held true._

_“I know, I know. I don’t mean to, and you damn well know it. It’s not exactly easy to try and set aside what I do on a daily basis though.”_

_“We know, Peanut. He’s not mad, he just wants to make sure you knew it was happening,” said Finn._

_One thing Ben had noticed about these three was that Finn was the middle man. Rey and Poe got along, they were friends and would always be there for each other. But they also didn’t always communicate well with each other. Finn knew how to communicate with both, and how to bridge the gap between them._

_Ben watched Rey as she seemed to struggle with a way to respond. The weight visible on her shoulders. She’d been pushing herself all week, and it was clear that it was starting to affect her. Even from across the room he could see her struggling to hold herself together._

_“Guys, why don’t you take a walk? Give her a minute,” Ben said. The look Poe gave him let him know he was against the idea. He clearly either had more he wanted to say, or he simply didn’t think a break was necessary. Ben knew otherwise, and was thankful that Finn must have recognized the need too._

_“Come on man, I could use a break myself. Let’s take ten,” Finn said, setting his sticks on the snare and rising from the drum throne. After giving Finn and look of traitorous agitation Poe finally lays his bass down and follows Finn from the room, letting the door slam behind him._

_As soon as they were gone Ben quickly strode to the piano bench and pulled Rey up to him, wrapping his arms around her as she collapsed in his embrace._

_“Shhh. It’s ok. I’ve got you.” He says, letting her take the time she needs._

_After a couple of minutes she pulls back just enough to look up at him. “Sorry for that. I didn’t mean to let him get to me that much. Normally I can brush him off pretty easily. I know he means well, and he wants what’s best for the group.”_

_“It’s ok, Rey. You’ve been working yourself pretty hard all week. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if you actually understand the idea of spring break.” He said, drawing a laugh out of her._

_“I do. Normally I travel with Rose to see her family, but I wanted to stay this year to continue prepping for my recital. Although now I’m thinking I need to slow down a little too.”_

_“I think you’re right,” he says nodding. “Let’s get you through this practice for now. Can I help you?”_

_“Oh, singing tips from the pianist?”_

_“Must I remind you that my own mother is your vocal teacher? I may have picked up a few things over the years.” The playful look in her eyes tells him she was messing with him. He found that oddly reassuring that he could calm her so easily and then pull her back into usual bubbly self. “Do you trust me?”_

_“Of course.”_

_If he was honest with himself, he’d never been so happy to actually recall some of his mother’s teaching about singing. As a child he didn’t care, he didn’t want to sing. Yes, he could in fact sing, but it was something he never particularly enjoyed. But he still remembered every lesson she had given him until he had started pushing back saying he didn’t want to sing. It was his father who had finally pushed Leia to stop trying to force it on him; one of the few things he was truly thankful to his father for._

_“You need to remember that classical is a very structured medium. There are specific ‘rules’, for lack of a better term, and accepted practices that are required of you when you sing in this style. Jazz singing, on the other hand, is much more fluid, more forgiving, more experimental and less rigid. The first rule of jazz is that you have to learn the rules, which you already know, before you can break them. The real thing is though, you are not only allowed to break the rules but you are expected to.”_

_Her eyes watched him intently as he spoke, even when he slid the bench to the side slightly and took a seat on one half of it, guiding her down to sit next to him on the other half. He began to play the beginning strains of_ Cry Me a River _, the song they had just been working on._

_“I want you to relax when you sing this. Don’t worry about projecting the same way you have to when you sing Bizet. You’re not trying to sing over an orchestra or through an entire concert hall. You’re mic'd for this, you don’t need the overtones or resonance positioning to help carry the sound and fill the hall. Now, sing.”_

_Taking a deep breath to fill her diaphragm she began:_

_“Now you say you're lonely_

_You cry the whole night through_

_Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river_

_I cried a river over you…”_

_“That was good, but it’s still too clean,” he says, cutting her off, but continuing to play. “Remember, the jazz singer is free to take liberties with the notes in respect to their duration, their tonality, even, to some degree, the pitch. This time I want you to feel the natural syncopation of the notes. In fact, for now I want you to over feel them, try to stay off the down beat. I also want you to bend the notes a little, even come in a half step lower and slide up into them._ Feel _the music, don’t just regurgitate it as it was originally written.”_

_Rey began again, starting where she had left off, continuing on in the song. It felt unnatural to her at first, fighting against her natural tendencies. The key of the song didn’t help much, he’d dropped it a third and now her first passagio fell right in the middle of it, but her gut told her he had done that on purpose._

_Ben stopped playing as she began the third stanza of the song, shifting just enough that his upper body could face her. She had hesitated when he stopped playing, but a simple, whispered encouragement of “Keep Going” from him, and she did just that._

_Her eyes fell shut as she focused on hearing the accompaniment in her head, the words and notes flowing easily from her soft pink lips. Each note that she sang called to him, like a siren luring a sailor at sea. By the fourth stanza she seemed to have figured it out. Her body relaxed, feeling the music from the inside, instead of processing it from the page first._

_She let the last note resonate, a controlled vibrato for only the last couple of counts. Then her eyes opened and Ben fell into their depths, lost in her hazel eyes that currently were more golden than anything, just a few flecks of green around the edges._

_“Beautiful.” The words fell from his mouth before he realized he’d even said them. He stares at her intently, his hands coming up to cup her face between them. “Rey.” Her name whispered like a prayer falling from his lips._

_“Yes,” she breathed out. His hesitation was gone, that one word giving him the permission he’d been longing for._

_He lowered his head, brushing his lips across hers, softly at first, still tentative, giving her the option to pull away if she wanted. Instead, she leaned into him, her hand grasping the front of his shirt, and he was completely unprepared. The world fell away and he was left feeling as if he was floating in another universe._

_Over the last week he’d spent hours watching her while she practiced and studied. He’d studied her in return wondering how it would feel to pull her close, melding his lips to hers. Now none of it mattered. His wildest dreams couldn’t compare to what was now real life._

_He kissed her soft and slow, one hand moving from her cheek to the back of her neck, the other around her waist to pull her closer. She tasted of lemon and honey, and it was the sweetest flavor he’d ever known. The kiss obliterated every thought; and with it was a new beginning, a promise of more to come._

_They had been so wrapped up in each other that neither had heard Finn and Poe when they returned from taking a break. Instead, they had only been alerted to their presence when the door slammed shut for the second as they had both made a hasty retreat from the room._

“Good morning, Professor Solo!”

Ben’s head snapped up, caught off guard by the interruption of his thoughts. He was barely aware that he’d even made it through campus to his office, let alone having been approached by his first lesson of the day, his thoughts consumed with Rey. 

“Good morning, Miss Sella.” He turns back to the door to unlock it, then holds it open, motioning her inside. “Go ahead and take a few minutes to warm up. I’ll be ready momentarily.” 

***

Rey was walking to her voice lesson with Rose, updating her on everything that happened while she had been gone. She’d spent a significant amount of time telling her about their first kiss in the practice room. How he’d helped her stylistically with singing jazz, which had led to their kiss. It was a moment that Rey had played over and over again in her head, unwilling to let the feel of his lips on hers fade away.

She told Rose about how they’d spent Friday walking through the Boston Common enjoying an unseasonably warm morning and afternoon before going to Snap’s that night for her gig with The Resistance. 

“He invited a couple of friends he knew from college to the show, Jyn and Cassian Andor. Turns out Jyn is the woman we saw him sitting with that Monday at lunch with Finn.” The girls came to a stop next to the closed door of Dr. Organa’s office. Rey dropped her bag to the ground and leaned against the wall facing Rose while she waited for her lesson. “They seem like a nice couple, although I didn’t get to talk to them much. They left shortly after our set was done, but I’m glad he has someone to spend time with while I was busy.”

“Girl, if everything you’ve been telling me is true, he didn’t care about having someone to sit with and pass the time.” Rose said, handing Rey her phone back. She’d been flipping through the photos Rey had taken of Ben and herself over the last week. “He was showing you off to his friends. Sounds to me like this guy has it bad for you, Rey.”

Rey looks down at the photo on her lock screen, it was a photo she’d taken of them together at Snap’s after her set at ended. Just a selfie of the both. At the last second she turned her head and kissed his cheek, and the look on his face was priceless. Something so unguarded and pure that she was thrilled to have caught it on camera. 

She had pulled him out on the dance floor for a couple songs, although it had been painfully obvious he was only doing it to humor her. Clearly drinking and dancing the night away with the college crowd was something he’d put behind him, another sign of the age difference between them. In the end she didn’t care, she enjoyed the time he did come dance with her, even if it was mostly him standing there and laughing at her attempts to get him to join in. 

“Yeah. Well, he may not be the only one who has it bad. Is that weird? I think it’s weird. I mean, I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks, Rose. But, there’s just something about him. I don’t know, I guess we’ll see? Rose…” 

“Whoa, Rey, slow down there,” Rose interrupts with a laugh. “Whatever you do, stop trying to overthink this. Just enjoy it. Besides it’s not like he’s trying to introduce you to his parents yet.”

“Oh shit. Shit. Fuck.” Rey felt the panic rising in her all of a sudden. She knew Dr. Organa was his mother, he’d told her that, never trying to hide it. He’d even brought it up again at one point. But Rey hadn’t put any real thought into it since that night he first told her. She’d pushed it to the back of her mind, instead focusing on the multitude of things she was trying to accomplish over break. 

Rose was so wrong, she had no idea. Suddenly the idea of sitting through a voice lesson Dr. Organa, no with Ben’s mother, had her stomach doing flip flops like never before. 

“Rey, are you ok?”

“No, I’m not sure I am. Oh God, Rose!” She struggled to keep the panic from rising in her voice and causing a scene. “I didn’t tell you. I can’t believe I forgot! Rose, his mother is”

“Good morning Rey! You too Rose. How are you ladies this morning?” Dr. Organa says, stepping out of her office. 

“We’re great Dr. O! Rey was just catching me up on everything that happened while I was gone over break,” Rose said with a smile, before catching the look of panic making its way across Rey’s face. “Well, I have an appointment with my advisor, so I should be going. It was nice to see you Dr. O! I’ll catch up with you at Chamber, Rey.” 

Rey watched, rooted to her spot against the wall, as Rose took off down the hall, leaving her alone for her lesson. She’d never wanted to be around Dr. Organa less than she did right at this moment. For the last several years Rey had looked at the woman as a guiding star. She had helped pull her from the hell that was Unkar Plutt by giving her the option to follow her dreams. But now she wasn’t just her teacher and advisor, she was the mother if the man she was, seeing? Dating? They hadn’t actually put a title on it, and she was OK with that. 

“Are you coming Rey?” Dr. Organa asked, a look of concern on her face. Taking a deep breath, Rey nodded and then followed her into the office for her lesson. 

Rey felt her phone buzz in her hand and contemplated ignoring it, then realized there was a good chance it was Kaz. He was supposed to start coming to her lessons to rehearse with Dr. Organa, and he had yet to arrive. 

**On my way. 5m out Sry. Kaz**

_Ok, thanks_

Well shit, now what? 

“So Rey, how was your spring break?” Dr. Organa asked, breaking the silence, her eyes watching Rey expectantly. 

Should she just tell her? She and Ben hadn’t actually talked about this. He’d been very open with her though, he didn’t try to hide who his mother was. And if he was to be believed, there’s a good chance she already knows about him meeting her after Camerata that Friday. Dr. Holdo had surely already told her about what transpired after class. 

“It was really great,” Rey finally responds while looking at the phone in her hands, trying to stall for a moment before deciding to take Ben’s lead and be open about their relationship. Is that the right word? They hadn’t put a title on it, but now that she was thinking about it, maybe they should. She definitely wanted to see where it would go. “I spent most of the week working, practicing and doing homework to be honest. But I also spent my free time getting to know this really great guy.”

“Ben Solo.”

Rey’s head jerked up to look at Dr. Organa when she said his name so matter of factly. 

“Yes, Ben Solo,” Rey said with a nod. She could swear she saw Dr. Organa stiffen when she admitted his name. Looking at her now, Rey could see the family resemblance. Looking in her eyes was like looking into Ben’s, warm and kind, and at this exact moment, both guarded and concerned as well. “I know he’s your son Dr. Organa. He told me over dinner that Friday, after what happened with Dr. Holdo. We’d been talking about how I came to be at NEC, and he put the pieces together that you were the woman who brought me here. Both my advisor and my teacher.” 

Rey spoke carefully, not wanting to say anything to upset her teacher, but wanting to be open about what was going on. She wasn’t sure how Dr. Organa would take this news, but Rey couldn’t hide it. She knew she would be spending more time with Ben, and she wanted to avoid keeping this type of secret from the woman who had done so much for her.

“He told you about me? I find that surprising, to be honest. You know I haven’t heard from my son in years, he didn’t even let me know he was back in town.”

“I know. For what it’s worth, after he told me who you were to each other, I encouraged him to reach out to you. I don’t know what happened, and I know it’s really none of my business. But I do hope he reaches out to you. I’ve heard you talk about how much you miss your son, how much you miss him.”

Rey watches as Dr. Organa turns to look out the window of her office. Her face is pensive, clearly deep in thought about her son. Rey can practically see the pain on her face, but also the hope. Her son is in town and maybe, just maybe, she will get the chance to see him. And Rey realizes she wants him to see her as well. 

At that moment there is a knock at the door, Kaz, Rey is sure. 

“One moment,” Dr. Organa says, loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door. Then she turns to face Rey again. “Thank you for your honesty, Rey. I hope he will reach out to me as well, but I won’t push him. I’ve done far too much of that over the years, and I fear that because of that I contributed to most of his issues. You seem happy with Ben, and I’m happy that you are happy. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I will. And thank you,” she says, finally going to answer the door, letting Kaz in so they can begin. 

***

“Thanks for joining us today, Kaz,” Rey says, giving him a smile as he packs up his music and heads to the door. “I’ll see you Wednesday, yes?”

“Of course. Keep up the hard work Rey, you’re going to do great. Have a great Rey, you too Dr. Organa,” he responds with a smile and a wave. The door clicks closed behind him, and Rey turns to face the older woman who is once again staring out the window. 

A vibration from her pocket lets Rey know she has an incoming message, so she pulls her phone out to check it.

**Are you and your friends having lunch over here again today?**

Rey couldn’t stop the smile that crosses her face when she sees the message from Ben.

_Always. Will you come? Pls??_

**If you would like me to. I don’t want to intrude on your time with them.**

_You’re not, and I want to see you. I’ll see you after Chamber._

**See you then.**

When she looks up from her phone she sees Dr. Organa watching her, her face carefully guarded. Before she can talk herself out of it Rey unlocks her phone again and pulls up a photo she had taken of Ben while they were walking through the Boston Common. He didn’t know she’d taken it, his attention being on something that was happening across the way from them. It was only a profile shot, but it was one of Rey’s favorites already, the look on his face so soft and open.

She quickly hits share, and types in Dr. Organa’s name to pull up her number. She’d given Rey her personal number years ago when she was still helping her apply for school. She had encouraged Rey to reach out at any time, for any reason. Rey hadn’t used the number in since becoming a student, but had never deleted it. Now she was thankful for that. 

She sends Dr. Organa the photo, and another one she took of him leaning back against a brick wall, his face broken into an open laugh at something she had said. It was such a relaxed and carefree look that she quickly took the photo. Making him laugh and smile like that was quickly becoming her favorite hobby. 

“Those are for you,” she motions to the older woman’s phone, which is now buzzing with the incoming photos.

She watches as Dr. Organa opens the photos, her eyes going glassy with unshed tears as she takes in the face of her son. A face that is 8 years older than the last time she had seen him. 

Wanting to let her have a moment before her next lesson, Rey quickly gathers her materials and heads for the door, turning to look at her mentor once more before leaving. 

“I truly hope he reaches out to you.” she says softly.

“Thank you, Rey. These mean a lot.” 

Rey just nods and heads out the door to meet Rose at Chamber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it. As always, your comments mean so much to me. If you're enjoying this story I hope you will share it with your friends. Don't forget to follow me on twitter [Piano_Lily](https://twitter.com/piano_lily) where I post updates, as well as links to the songs mentioned here, and more!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating for this fic just went up from M to E. Please make note of that now. If you are uncomfortable with Explicit writing then please be aware of the change. I hadn't planned it at the start, but was open to the idea if the story flowed right, and it did. If you want to continue reading and just skip that part then you will want to avert your eyes after the:  
>  _Enjoy him and your time together. Don’t self sabotage it, just enjoy it._  
>  And pick back up at:   
> *When they climb...
> 
> In this chapter, and others going forward, I will also be having Rose use certain Vietnamese terms from time to time. It just seems to fit with who I want the character. I also have the perfect person to ask for help with that since my husband can help with it. In this chapter she calls Rey 'em gái', which means sister.
> 
> As always, so many thanks to the lovely MaskaraCakes for our hours of brainstorming and her talking off the ledge when I was struggling.

Rey let her head drop to the table in front of her, a small groan making its way from her throat. This composition class was going to be the death of her. She sang the songs, she didn’t write them. She let the sounds of the coffee shop wash over her, trying to put her frustrations with this assignment from her mind. She’d been working on it for almost two weeks and wasn’t making the progress she wanted.

“You alright there, Peanut?” Finn says, pulling her back to reality. She looked around the table at her friends, fighting the urge to just walk away. She was done. Between the stress of preparing for her recital and this damned assignment, she was just done.

“I hate this class. If I didn’t need this final class to graduate I would drop it today.” She looks around the table at her friends wishing she could enjoy their lunch, but this assignment had been hanging over her head, and she just couldn’t power through it.

“Let me take a look,” Poe said, holding his hand out for the manuscript notebook she had in front of her. Rey eyed him warily, not sure it would be a good idea to share what she’d done so far. “Rey, let me see it, please? I know you didn’t want Ben seeing, although that lame excuse of not wanting a professor to see it was comical.”

With a roll of her eyes she handed the notebook over to Poe, and watched as Finn and Rose crowded in around him to look at what she’d written. While her friends were distracted with the composition Rey decided to refill her tea and then took a seat in the corner booth where Ben would often sit when he came. Monday’s were the only day he came and ate with them since on Wednesday’s he had more lessons, and Friday’s were when he ran miscellaneous errands or spent time working on his own music while she was still in classes.

She couldn’t suppress the smile from her lips when her thoughts trailed away to Ben. After a wonderful spring break of getting to see him every day she had found herself missing him like crazy. When classes had resumed they both ended up with less free time, because of this they hadn’t seen each other since lunch on Monday. They had talked every night while she walked home from rehearsals or work, but she found it wasn’t enough.

She missed the way he would tuck her up against himself as they walked the streets of Boston. She missed the feel of his lips against hers, like a cool drink of water on a summer day that left you longing for more. And she did want more. She wanted so much more, but the thought terrified her as well.

She had been on dates before, but none that had gone well enough for her to want a second date. Ben was different though, it was like she couldn’t get enough of him.

“It’s good, you know,” Poe says, sliding into the booth across from her, then laying the notebook on the table between them. Rey shook her head, ready to argue with him, but he wouldn’t let her start. “Stop it, Rey. It is good, at least a good start. The hook is great, and the orchestration you’ve written to go under the melody is mesmerizing. It will sound really good when it all goes together, you just need to cleanup some of the melody, and I would work on some of the lyrics. They are a little all over the place and seemed forced.”

“Thanks Poe. That means a lot. It’s not due until next week, hopefully I can get some better inspiration over the weekend.” Rey looked at Poe, then to the other table where Finn and Rose were watching them. They had turned back into conversation with one another, throwing the occasional glance to where she was sitting. It unnerved her a little, knowing that they were likely talking about her.

“When will you see him again?” he asks, leaving no doubt in her mind he knew where her mind had been just moments before. Although, if she’s honest with herself her mind had been there for the last several days.

“Hopefully tonight. He mentioned meeting me to walk home after I practice.” She can feel the smile tugging at her cheeks with just the thought of getting to see Ben again.

“Good,” Poe nods, “Now, put the music away for now and relax. Come finish your lunch before you and Rose have to head back to campus.”

Rey nods, grabs her notebook and rejoins her friends at their table. The rest of their lunch passed quickly and soon the two girls were on their way back to NEC for Camerata Rehearsal.

“So, are you going to pretend that the lyrics in that song you’re writing aren't about Ben?” Rose asks as soon as they hit the streets of Boston again. Rey wasn’t surprised, in anything she was a little impressed that Rose hadn’t tried bringing it up around the guys. Rose was good like that, she always seemed to know when to push Rey and when to let her be. Clearly today she was going to push, but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

“I never denied it, then again you’re the first to ask,” Rey laughed. How was she supposed to explain to her friend that even though she’d only known him three weeks, well two weeks really if you go by when they had started communicating regularly, she felt like she’d known him her whole life? She had a hard time wrapping her own head around that concept even.

“Then spill, em gái!”

“What do you want me to say? You know my dating history, or lack thereof. This is completely new territory for me, and I’m not entirely sure what we are at this point. I mean, yes, I like him. A lot. And yes, maybe that song is a bit about him, but only because I can’t seem to get him out of my head. There’s something special about him,” Rey gushes. Once the words started she found it hard to stop.

“So, does that mean this whole thing between you two is official? Because if it is, and you haven’t told me before now, I might just cry,” Rose feigned sadness. The act had its intended effect of drawing a laugh from Rey.

“Official? If you mean has he asked me to be his girlfriend, the no. But there’s definitely this unspoken, I don’t know, agreement? Neither of us is seeing anyone else. And honestly, I’m worried about what kind of pressure would come from having a title on things. You know how things have been for me in the past. I’d rather just let things be, let them develop naturally.”

“Naturally? Em gái, judging by the words you’ve put to that song, and how you talk about him, I don’t think anyone would argue that there’s something unique between the two of you.”

Rose’s words gave her pause. She felt the inexplicable pull to him, she’d felt it that first night they met. And surely the way they had kept running into each other after that meant something? They walked in silence after that until the Jordan Hall building came into view. Rey’s thoughts were like a ping pong ball being bat back and forth across the table. She didn’t want to think too deeply about it, but it was hard to not wonder about where this could go. Her goals had always been rather one-sided. Graduate high school, study vocal performance, graduate, sing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, or become an artist in resident for another orchestra. Even better would be to perform somewhere like the Met, although that dream seemed a little far-fetched for a girl who’d grown up in the system, but it was still there.

Graduation wasn’t far now, but she had yet to work on lining up something to do after. Maybe that’s where she needed to be focusing her energies instead. Ben would be going back to St. Louis after the semester ended, and he’d never given any inclination that he would stay in Boston, and she couldn’t ask that of a man she’d known for such a short time. Not to mention she didn’t know where she would end up after graduation. Titles and commitments would make the whole thing that much harder when the time came for him to leave.

“Earth to Rey!” Rose said, pulling Rey to a stop after they crossed Huntington Avenue.

“What?” Rey snapped. As soon as she did she felt bad. It wasn’t Rose’s fault she kept losing herself to what-ifs, her mind making her second guess everything. “Sorry. What’s up?”

“No worries. You clearly have something on your mind, and you can tell me that later. What I asked was, when are you going to stop eye fucking him and actually get down to business?”

If Rey hadn’t already been stopped, that would have caused her halt. As it was, the look of shock that crossed her face must have spoken volumes because Rose immediately broke into laughter. She was unable to form a coherent response before Rose got herself back under control, and continued their walk to class.

“Relax, Rey! I was messing with you. Well, a little anyway.”

“Rose, honestly…”

“Don’t you ‘honestly’ me. I saw the way you watched each other throughout lunch on Monday, not to mention the way you’re constantly pining over him.”

If Rey didn’t love Rose like a sister, she might have smacked the shit-eating grin off her face. She was tempted to anyway. Instead she followed Rose in silence, partly plotting how to enact revenge on her friend, but also taking what Rose had said to heart. She would be lying if she said the thought hadn’t crossed her mind a time or two.

A part of her was open to the idea of taking things further with Ben, even after such a short timeframe, the other part of her was terrified. Her only sexual experience with another man had been less than spectacular, a bumbling affair with a junior during her freshman year at NEC. His blond hair in a trendy and spiky haircut held up with too much gel, smelling like he’d taken a bath in Axe. Rey had given him her virginity, and he’d been happy to take it, a cocky smile on his face and a complete disregard for Rey’s experience.

The experience had put her off the entire idea for a while. Maybe because she’d had no previous experience to compare it to, but she hadn’t seen what the big idea was. In the end she’d decided it was something she could go without for the time being, instead choosing to focus on music. With Ben though, those thoughts had begun to return. She just wasn’t sure if she should act on them or not, and what would he think of her bringing it up?

This time when Rose stopped Rey ran into her, her eyes having been glue to the floor while walking, lost in her thoughts.

“Rey, stop thinking so hard. I know you’re trying to come up with ways to sabotage this already, and I’m begging you to stop. It’s obvious you’re both mad over the other, just go with it. I know things didn’t go so well with Conner that one time. But you cannot, and I can’t stress this enough, you cannot project that on Ben. Just enjoy what you have, enjoy him and your time together. If that involves more, great. If not, it’s still great. Just talk to him, and don’t put the sins of others on him. Yeah?”

Rey wrapped her arms around Rose, “What would I do without you?” she said. And she meant it. Rose always seemed to know what to say when Rey let her mind wander too far. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, just talk to that man. Or, ya know, don’t talk, just enjoy.” The friends pulled apart with a laugh, Rey finally relaxing and trying to put herself back into rehearsal mood. “Now, let’s get in there before Holdo comes out asking questions neither of us wants to answer.”

***

After Camerata wrapped, Rey quickly said goodbye to Rose then made her way up to the practice rooms to meet with Kaz, who was already settled into a room and was warming up when Rey arrived. He gave an easy smile when she entered, his hands never faltering as they moved across the keys with ease. Rey dropped her bag and jacket in the same chair Kaz had left his, then went to stand in the crook of the piano facing facing him.

At this point their rehearsals together were less because of a need to work out specific issues, and were more for run throughs of as much music as possible. Today’s goal was to make it through the entire program as it would be done during the program, with the same breaks there would be on the night of. Since she had just come from a rehearsal, the need for further warmup wasn’t necessary, but she still ran through her preferred selection of Marchesi and Vaccai exercises. She planned to use them the night of the performance, and she wanted to run these rehearsals as close as possible to what would happen the night of.

The entire run through ended up lasting close to two hours. It was longer than the recital would be, but Rey couldn’t help and stop to work on a few parts that were bothering her. She wasn’t crazy about the placement of a couple of songs, but Dr. Organa had been insistent that this would be the best for the recital, and who was she to argue with someone who had been doing this for as long as her professor had?

Luckily for her, Kaz had been a good sport about the extra time she kept him. He’d been preparing for this almost as long as she had, all while also preparing for his own senior recital. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure why any of the senior piano majors continued to accompany other students. They often did twice the work of everyone else, not only preparing and memorizing their own music, but then putting in the hours to accompany others. It was amazing, and she was so thankful that he was doing this for her.

She looked over at Kaz as he put his music away, preparing to leave. It was overwhelming to think of how much he’d come to mean to her as a friend after all these years. She knew after graduation that he was heading to Baltimore. He’d gotten into the Peabody Institute at John Hopkins University where he would study performance and pedagogy. It was ambitious, but if anyone could do it, it was Kaz.

“Thanks again, Kaz,” she says, giving him a hug.

“It’s nothing, you know that. I’m always happy to play for you. Now it’s time for you to rest though. You’ve been singing since Camerata at 2pm, and the last thing you want to do is risk overworking your vocal chords at this point.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t plan on staying long. I’m going to pick through my piece I’ve been working on for my composition class, then I’ll take off. No singing required,” she retorts before closing the door behind him.

Grabbing her backpack from the corner she pulls out her manuscript notebook and a pencil, then takes a seat at the piano. She begins to play the melody in the right hand, her left hand fluttering between the different chords, occasionally stopping to make small edits to either part.

She had surprised herself when she started working on the song at first. When she’d read about the assignment on syllabus day she had planned on writing an operatic piece that she could possibly sing. But once she put the pencil to paper she couldn’t get the hook out of her head. Now the song had morphed into something that perhaps The Resistance could play at Snap’s, although she wasn’t sure how confident she was about sharing it with anyone else.

It wasn’t long before she was pulled from her work by the door opening. She spun around on the seat to see who it was, quickly jumping to her feet when she saw Ben standing in the doorway.

“Ben! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him and resting her cheek against his chest. “How’d you get in even? The doors should have locked at 5, and you don’t have a student ID to get in. You said you would text me when you got here.”

He laughed at her enthusiasm, her happiness mirrored in his own face as he enveloped her small frame in his arms. The days since he’d seen her had been arduous, and left him longing to see her again.

“I missed you too. And Kaz let me in. I had just arrived as he was leaving, and he was kind enough to not make me wait outside for you,” he chuckles, planting a small kiss on the top of her head before pulling back to look at her. “Surprise?”

That draws a laugh from her as she winds her fingers into his hair and pulls him down to cover his lips with her own. He kissed her gently, carefully, once, twice, before she pulls back just enough to rest their foreheads together.

“The best surprise,” she whispers, a look of delight taking over her entire face. He was here now, and the feeling that came with it left her breathless. She _had_ missed him, but seeing him now, having his arms wrapped around her like a prized possession made it worth the wait of seeing him. “Let me pack up my music and we can get out of here.”

“Are you still working on that composition assignment?” he asks, sliding onto the bench to look at her music.

“I am, and no you still can’t see it. I’m going to finish it myself.” She quickly snatched the music from the stand, stuffing into her bag. “I’m sure you’d have wonderful ideas, but I _need_ to do this myself.”

Ben pulled the fallboard down over the keys then turned on the bench to face her leaning back against the piano.

“Rey, I have no desire to do your assignment for you. I’m just curious about what you’re writing,” he responds while pulling her back into him, her legs between his, and wrapping her back into his embrace. “You’re a talented musician, and I think whatever you write will showcase that talent. I hope you’ll share it with me one day, I can wait until it’s finished if that’s what you prefer. I just want to enjoy all your talents.”

Rey inhaled deeply, looking into his eyes as he spoke. That line hit her deeply, her earlier conversation with Rose quickly passing through her mind. She’s certain that’s not what he meant, he was talking about music, but the warmth that spread through her certainly made her think of things beyond music.

Raising her right hand to his face she gently traced across his brow line, her eyes taking in everything she had missed since Monday. They roved over the freckle and moles that dotted his face and she briefly wondered if they were spread further across his body. That thought caught her off guard, but she didn’t question it. She’d missed him, and these were totally normal thoughts, right?

With him sitting she’s able to lower her head to him this time, her lips following the trail where her fingers had just been. A few soft brushes across his brow, down his cheek, then finally capturing his lips. The kiss was gentle and somehow still more demanding than the kiss they had shared a few minutes prior. Suddenly she understood what people meant by melting into a kiss. It was as if her whole body was dissolving into him. Her hands finding their way to his neck before her fingers tangled in his hair; his hands wander from being wrapped around her to holding onto her hips, pulling in her in closer.

They stayed like that, wrapped in each other, until the need to breath became overwhelming. When she finally pulled her lips from his she couldn’t stop the draw of air into her lungs, and her eyes fell into the deep bourbon color of his eyes. Maybe Rose was right. Maybe she shouldn’t think too hard about it, just enjoy the time they have for now, and whatever comes later she will deal with then.

A knocking at the practice room door startles them both and Rey jumps back slightly, turning to see who’s there, but the doorway is empty. She quirks an eyebrow at Ben, who’s pushing his hair back into place, then heads to the door to see what’s going on. The corridor to the left is empty, but down the hall to the right, turning up the staircase is the undeniable figure of Dr. Organa.

Quickly closing the door, Rey turns to Ben, her cheeks burning from the embarrassment of being caught by none other than Ben’s mother.

“Let’s get out of here, yeah?” She says quickly, already pulling on her coat and grabbing her backpack. He doesn’t hide the curiosity on his face, he wants to know who it was, but he doesn’t ask. Not at this moment anyway.

“Whatever you want,” he responds, standing and immediately taking her hand as they make their way from the practice room. They walk in silence through the building, both lost in their own thoughts, but simultaneously just happy to be in the presence of the other.

Once they finally exit the building she slips her arm around Ben’s waist, pulling herself into him for the walk home. With each breath she breathes in the scent that is uniquely him and wraps it around herself.

She has to hand it to him, he hasn’t pressed about who had knocked on the door. If the roles were reversed she would have been asking from the moment he’d seen them. Instead he remains quiet, leaving his curiosity on the back burner until she’s ready to tell him. It’s something her inquisitive mind would never be able to do.

“It was Dr. Organa,” she finally says, after they’ve crossed Huntington Avenue. His reaction is immediate, hand gripping her shoulder tightly, and the sharp intake of breath that signal how uncomfortable he is. It happens each time she’s tried to bring his mother up. He’s told her there’s a history there. That he did something unforgivable, that’s why he left Boston and broke contact with her. He hasn’t told her what happened though, and she hasn’t pushed it. She hopes he’ll tell her in his own time, when he’s ready.

“Rey…” he trails off, gathering what he wants to say.

“Don’t worry about it, Ben. Whatever it is is between you guys. I don’t need to know.”

“Thank you,” he whispers, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. They continue on through the night, walking slower than they normally would, enjoying the warmth coming from the other. Eventually they reach her building and make their way up to her apartment. Finn and Poe are down the street again to watch the Bruins play the Blues, something she only knows because they had made a spectacle this morning about it being a rematch from the Stanley Cup Finals the year before.

After hanging their jackets over a chair and kicking their shoes off by the door, they curl up on the couch together, a calm settling over them.

“Will you come to my recital in two weeks?” Rey asks, breaking the silence that had enveloped them. They had talked about it a little over the phone, but he had yet to give her a firm answer. She felt the deep humming in his chest before he answered.

“Of course I’ll be there, I wouldn’t miss it.”

“You know your mom will be there, right? She’s my voice teacher and advisor, she has to be there.” She’s sure he knows that. It wasn’t until recently that the thought of doing this final performance without him there had even occurred to her. She knew giving voice to her concerns wouldn’t be easy, but if she avoided them she worried they would continue to build. Not certain she had the nerve to look him in the eyes, she turned her face into his chest for a moment, inhaling deeply before she spoke, “I didn’t know if that’s why you wouldn’t give me an answer before. I understand if you’re still working through something and aren’t up to seeing her yet. But I would rather you tell me that, instead of leaving me hanging.”

“Do you want me there, Rey?” he asks, shifting enough that she had to sit up for a moment. He took one of her hands in his, the other going to her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“Of course I want you there. That’s why I keep asking. But I don’t want you to feel obligated to come just because I want you there. Especially if it will be awkward for you.”

“Rey. I want to be there for you. Not because you want me there, but because _I_ want to be there to support you. Watching you perform is a true joy, and this will be my first opportunity to see you do the opera music you love to do. I will be there. Please, don’t worry about what may happen with my mother. It’s something I assure you that would never prevent me from being there for you.”

Rey can hardly believe the words he says. He’s willing to be in the same vicinity as his mother, just to be there for her. His eyes are tender and warm and she lets herself fall into their depths, her own beaming back a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. She smiles as she presses her lips to his again, and everything else falls away. The already quiet room around them falls deafeningly quiet.

_Just enjoy it._

Rose’s words echo back through her mind again.

_Enjoy him and your time together. Don’t self sabotage it, just enjoy it._

She could do that. She could enjoy this time with him and not worry about what the future might hold. They have this moment, right now, and she plans to take advantage of it. She’s not sure she’s ready to give into everything Rose had alluded to, but there was one thing she wanted to do. She _wants_ to enjoy this part of him.

It’s her turn to shift how they are sitting, throwing her leg over him and leaning him back onto the couch. Her loose hair falls around them, a curtain shielding them from the outside world. She settles herself down on his lap, the press of his length rubbing between them. He pulls back slightly, his head resting back against the couch, and lets out a groan that can only be described as obscene.

“Rey, what are you doing?” He manages to ask while she brushes her lips across his cheek, sending a shiver through him. They hadn’t talked about this yet, but she was running on instinct, wanting to enjoy him.

Sits back slightly, her eyes locking onto his, hoping she hadn’t pushed him too far.

“I’m going to enjoy you, that’s what. If you want me to stop, tell me now,” she whispers. The gaze he gives her is intense, his eyes darkening by the second. Then he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and she fights the urge to run her tongue along it. He looks away for a moment, eyes blinking, then turns back to her with a fire in them that she wants to build until it swallows them both. She leaves a trail of kisses from his temple to his jawline.

“Or now.” She continues her the trail of kisses along his throat and down to his collarbone. His breathing is already becoming more labored than it had been moments before, the low rumble that emanated from his chest as she let her hands slide down his strong body.

“Or now.” Her right hand finally reaching its intended destination, palming his cock through his jeans while she slid the rest of her body from the couch to kneel in front of him.

“Rey, you don’t have to…”

“I know. But I want to, Ben.” This time she cups his balls through the demin, and his head falls back against the couch, again. “Will you let me do this?”

“Yes.” It comes out more of a hiss than a word, but it’s enough. She quickly sets to work to divest his lower body of their garments. Her fingers running across the expanse of firm muscle and sinew in his legs. His body was slightly trembling from the sensation of her hands running across his thighs until they reached their intended destination.

Her eyes finally fell to his impressive length, the tip already glistening. She had never felt the desire to taste a man before, but now there was nothing she wanted more in the world than to taste him. Without wasting another moment she ran her tongue across the tip before closing her mouth over the head and giving a light suck. He tasted good. It was a little salty, but something entirely unique that she could only describe as being Ben.

The action pulled a low groan from deep in his chest, and the sound spurred her one, wanting to hear it over and over. She wraps her hand around the base, letting her tongue slide down along the bulging vein. God, the sounds he’s making are enough to drive her to wanting more. He’s so responsive to the lightest of flicks from her tongue and the touches from her fingers as the graze along his thighs.

She slowly starts to build a steady tempo between her mouth bobbing along him taking what she can, and her hand wrapped around the base giving little twists where her mouth couldn’t quite reach. His hands reach out, pulling her hair to the side and lose themselves in the silken feeling of the strands between his fingers.

She felt drunk on him. The musky scent of his arousal mixed with the taste of him on her tongue was intoxicating. The sounds from deep in his chest encouraging her more, increasing her tempo.

“Fuck...Rey...I…” he stutters out, between his quickening breaths. Now she wants more. She doesn’t just want to taste him, she wants to swallow him whole, drink him down until there’s nothing left. She brings her free hand up and lets her fingers glide across the delicate and tender skin of his balls before cupping and giving them a light squeeze. Just enough that he gasps and spreads his legs wider. He was beginning to fall apart in her hands, and she felt both powerful and humbled by it.

She hummed her pleasure around him, which sent him into a bout of curses, as his hips jerked, breaking her tempo for a moment. Taking advantage of the situation she pulled away, momentarily to lick a strip from his balls all the way to the tip, dragging a strangled cry from him, his eyes squeezing shut.

Taking the base in hand again she lowered her closed her mouth around him again, taking in as much of him as she can. Ben groaned again, loud and long and the sound of it sent a shot of pleasure straight to her own core. His hand met her relentless rhythm, guiding her but never forcing her to take more than she was giving. His balls were growing tight in her hand, and she knew he was going to come soon.

“Fuck...Rey...I’m…” he babbled incoherantly, trying to pull her away, but she wouldn’t let him. Instead she redoubled her efforts, giving the base another twist and her other hand gave his balls once last squeeze. That was enough. Ben came with a shout, his whole body tensing, eliciting a moan from Rey as she eagerly drank down his release.

When the shudders had finally ceased she stands, pulling him up with her. She aids him in refastening his jeans before taking his hands in hers, locking her eyes back on his.

“Stay. Please?” She can see the hesitation in his eyes, and she’s not sure what causes it, but it makes her heart leap. Maybe she had pushed him too far, so her eyes drop as she scrambles to retract her question. “I mean, you don’t have to. And nothing else will happen, I just…”

He releases her hands and grabs her face, pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “Ok.” he says when he finally pulls back.

*When they climb into her bed later, she curls herself into his side and feels his exhale of breath in her hair before leaving a kiss at the hairline. She knows this feeling, at least from a philosophical standpoint. This is what songwriters spend their lives writing about. It’s the same in all of the languages she’s sang in. She had never dreamed of having a feeling like this, it’s not explosive, but it is all encompassing. It’s an ebb and flow that starts small but grows to fill a crowded concert hall. But it’s also a stillness that sinks into your bones and is for just you.

She revels in the taste of him still on her tongue, the rise and fall of his chest that her arm rests across. His body is warm and she wraps herself in that feeling until they both drift off to sleep.

***

Rey woke a few hours later, her mind suddenly alive with the muse she had been looking for all week. She takes a few moments to watch Ben, his face slack with sleep. He’s beautiful like this, and she can’t help the feelings bursting within her.

Carefully extracting herself from his arms, she makes her way into the living room and pulls out her manuscript notebook and a pencil, taking them both back to her room. Sitting up at the edge of the bed, so she won’t wake Ben, and she lets the words flow through her pencil, saying the things she had previously been unable to put down on paper.

An hour later she finishes, pleased with the work she has done. Knowing that her this song is now complete she smiles, it’s something she couldn’t be more proud of. She drops the notebook and pencil to the floor and climbs back under the covers, Ben instinctively pulling her back into his embrace. This time when sleep takes her she falls into it having learned more about herself in the last several hours than she had in the last couple years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note that there is a good chance it will be at least 2 weeks until I can get the next update out. I've been contracted from some short term accompanying, but it's pushing 5-6hrs of practicing or rehearsals a day, on top of all my regular commitments with our family. I'm going to continue to try to get some writing done, but it probably won't be as fast until after this event. I beg you to bear with me, because I will definitely hit this hard when I get back. 
> 
> Thank you again for reading! All of your wonderful comments are so amazing, and I love chatting with you. Don't forget to follow me on twitter: [PianoLily](https://twitter.com/piano_lily). And please, if you're enjoying this story, make sure to share it with your friends!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back guys! Thank you so much for your patience while waiting for this chapter. The music festival is over, and things should now get back to regular weekly updates. All of your support has been amazing, and it is my sincerest hope that you enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> So many thanks to @MyJediLife and The Pink Ladies for all their support. And of course, @MaskaraCakes, my Emotional Support Hufflepuff, babysitter and constant coffee date.

**You have to show it to Dr. O. I’m telling you, I think you need to see if she’ll let you include it in your recital.**

_IDK...I’m not so sure about that. It’s so close to the recital, and this is completely different than the rest of the music._

**Rey, I’m telling you, it’s good. You need to trust yourself, and Dr. O. If she doesn’t like it then she won’t let you add it. But she’s going to let you add it.**

Shaking her head, Rey pockets her phone as she steps off the elevator, making her way towards Dr. Organa’s office. After Ben had left the night before she set to work putting the song she’d written into Finale. She knew most students would have probably written the music directly into the program, but not Rey. Even though she wasn’t a composer, there was something about writing the music by hand that made her feel like she could compete with the greats.

If writing by hand was good enough for Puccini, then it was good enough for her. Unfortunately it wasn’t good enough for her composition professor; so into the music writing program it would go.

Poe had happened by when she was putting the music into the program and hadn’t left her alone until he got to hear the final product. His reaction had been one of jumping into the air raving about how it was unfortunate they didn’t have any upcoming Resistance gigs to play it at. Since then he had been telling her to show it to Dr. Organa, certain she would let Rey add it to her recital repertoire.

Rey, on the other hand, wasn’t sure it was recital material, although she was pleased that he had liked it enough to think it was. Poe tended to know more about that sort of thing. So here she was, on her way to her last voice lesson before the recital, seriously contemplating the idea of asking Dr. Organa.

This week the door was already open, and Rey found herself hoping that might be a sign of her professor being open to this crazy idea of Poe’s. Stepping into the doorway she gives a light knock on the door to alert her professor of her presence.

“Rey, come in, come in,” Dr. Organa says with a smile. She turns her chair to face Rey, folding her hands onto the desk. “This is it. Ten more days. How are you feeling?”

She always loved her professor’s excitement as recitals drew near. For Rey, this time it seemed like more. Perhaps she was projecting her own feelings after everything Dr. Organa had done to help her get this far, but her mentor seemed to beam at her with something more than just a voice teacher or advisor.

“I’m as prepared as I can be, I think. Honestly, I'm still a little nervous. The Russian for the Rachmaninoff is probably the worst of them all. There’s just something about it that, while I know it, still gives me fits. But I’m glad we went with it instead of the Prokofiev,” she said, taking a seat across the desk from Dr. Organa.

“I think the Prokofiev would have been good for you, more of a challenge. But it’s your recital, and I’m still pleased with your choices in music. The pieces will show your range, and entail a variety of composer’s from across the classical periods.”

”About that,” Rey started. She knew this was her opportunity to bring up the possible addition to her program. All the reasons not to bring it up come flooding in, a dam bursting, and she begins to doubt herself. Her hands grip the straps on her backpack tighter for a moment, in an attempt to keep them from shaking.

“I...Um. So, I had to write a song for the composition class I’m taking. It took a while, but I finally finished it, and you know how I am. Originally I did it by hand. Then, Poe happened by while I was putting it into Finale, and you know how he is.”

“Oh yes, I remember how Mr. Dameron is. Anyway, continue.”

Rey can’t help but to laugh. In many ways Poe hadn’t changed a bit in all the years she’d known him, and clearly Dr. Organa had thoughts about that as well.

“Yes, well. Poe really liked it, and he’s been encouraging me to consider adding it at the end of my recital. I was hesitant at first. I mean, I’m not a songwriter. Not to mention this is the first song I’ve ever written.” Rey could tell she was rambling now, the nerves about asking having hit a fever pitch inside her.

“Rey, it’s ok, calm down,” Dr. Organa says with a laugh. “It doesn’t matter what Mr. Dameron wants. What do you want Rey? Do _you_ want to add it to your recital?”

This gives Rey pause. Does she want to add it to her recital, or was she just going with this because Poe thought it was a good idea? She was proud of what she’d written, the song already close to her heart, but did that mean it was worthy of being played for others? People wrote songs all the time that they would never play for others. What made this song stand out?

Raising her eyes to look at her professor, she saw for the first time just how similar they were to Ben’s. Even though she’d known Dr. Organa longer, this was the first time she’d really stopped and studied her eyes. The color was slightly different from Ben’s, but that wasn’t the part that struck her. What really caught her was the look in her eyes, the warmth and caring behind them. It was the same look Ben would give her whenever he thought she wasn’t looking, or when they were lost in a deep conversation.

It was that look that made her realize that she did want to perform the song. Not just for herself, but for Ben as well. She hadn’t let him see it yet, fought so hard to make sure he wouldn’t see it, but it truly was written for him. Now she wanted nothing more than to stand on that stage and sing it for him, let her lyrics speak for themselves.

“I want to sing it,” Rey responds, the nerves falling away only to be replaced with a feeling of excitement over sharing something she had done herself.

“Good, then you’ll sing it. It’s your senior recital, and you’ve already met the school’s requirements for it, so adding something for yourself at the end will be fine. Now, pull it up and let me see what we’re working with,” she says to Rey, who has already begun to pull her laptop out of her backpack.

For the next half an hour they pour through the song, making small edits that would improve the song. Dr. Organa helped her rework some of the original instrumentation so that it would work well with fewer instruments.

Rey had shot off a quick text to both Poe and Finn asking if they would be willing to play it with her, of which they had both agreed quickly. She had considered asking Kaz to play the piano part, but Dr. Organa quickly vetoed that idea. She felt it was Rey’s song, and she should play it as well. Finally, Rey agreed with her, resigning herself to playing as well.

The one thing Rey stood most firm on was the lyrics. There were a few that Dr. Organa had recommended changing, but Rey refused. For her the lyrics were what made the song, they came from deep within herself, and she was going to stay true to them. Some of them were a little unconventional, she knew that, but they had flowed from her as if they were prewritten. In a way they wrote of who she was, and what she now felt. She wouldn’t overthink and edit them.

As Rey prepared to leave her lesson, she felt more confident about performing her song. She didn’t just want to, she felt like she had to. She could feel Dr. Organa’s eyes on her as she packed up her laptop and shoved it back into her bag. An unspoken question hanging in the air, before the silence finally broke.

“How is he?”

Rey looks at her advisor, a small war brewing within her. It’s clear by looking at her that she misses her son, the fact that she asks Rey about him makes it all the more obvious. And Rey wants to tell her everything. She wants to tell her that he’s the kindest man she’s ever met, and that every minute she spends with him is her favorite. That in many ways she’s terrified by the emotions she has for him. She wants to tell her about how safe she feels with him, that the loneliness she felt growing up was gone when he was around.

More than anything she wants to promise her that she will find a way to get him to reach out to her, but she knows that's impossible. She can’t make promises for him, no matter how much she wants to. He has to want to reach out, and at this point it doesn’t seem like he’s ready. He still hasn’t told her what drove him away from his family, and as much as she wants to know, she won’t push him. There are some wounds that have to heal on their own, something she learned for herself a long time ago. Instead she will stand by him and be there when he’s ready.

“He’s good,” she says finally, hoping it will be enough for now. A pained look crossed the older woman’s face, before she quickly hides it behind a forced smile. Rey wants nothing more than to take the pain away from her, but there’s nothing she can do right now.

“Take care of him for me.” Dr. Organa sounds resigned at this point that the best she may get are these small bits Rey can feed her.

Putting her backpack on Rey turns to face the woman who had helped her get to where she is now and steps forward, wrapping her arms around her, “I will.”

Making her way from the room Rey turns back at the last moment, realizing there is a little hope she can try to give her.

“Dr. Organa. He’s going to be at my recital,” she says with a small smile. The woman’s eyes widened as if she hadn’t thought about the possibility of him coming.

“That’s wonderful, Rey. Thank you.”

With that Rey closes the door behind her and makes her way down to the Chamber Singers rehearsal.

***

Ben had cut his last lesson before lunch a little short, the student once again having not been prepared for it. He wasn’t going to waste either of their time if he couldn’t be ready. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that he was also eager to see Rey at lunch, which had become his custom every Monday when she and her friends got together.

He’d been surprised by the events of Friday night, most especially because he hadn’t been expecting something like that. Until that point they hadn’t even put a label on what they were, neither having been in a hurry for that. But that one evening had changed things in a way Ben hadn’t been entirely prepared for.

She had been truthful when she said things wouldn’t go any further that night, both having been happy to just lay there curled up with the other. For Ben it had been a strange feeling too. Sure, he’d had a handful of relationships off and on after leaving Boston, but nothing compared to what was building inside of him for this woman.

When they had woken the next morning it was to the knowledge that they both knew there was no turning back. They laid there for almost an hour talking about where things would be going from here, both agreeing that they didn’t want to see anyone else. The conversation flowed to what happened the night before, and the possibility of more happening in the future. Neither was in a hurry for things to advance, but at the same time he found himself relieved that they had taken the time to talk about it. When that time came it was one thing they wouldn’t have to worry about.

So now Ben finds himself in a committed relationship with a woman he’s quickly falling head over feet for. Of all the things he’d imagined happening when he returned to Boston, this had not been one of them. It made him fear for what would happen when she graduated and his brief contract with Berklee was up.

He had no plans to remain in Boston. He’d built a life in St. Louis, and he wanted to return to that and to the comforts of the small city life he’d become accustomed to. But he also knew there was a good chance Rey would find a job anywhere other than St. Louis, and that thought made his blood run cold.

Those thoughts carried him from his office down to the cafe where he would meet Rey and her friends. He knew he was early this time, but he was fine with waiting for them.

When he entered the cafe his eyes were immediately drawn to his corner booth that was currently occupied. Much to his surprise there sat Jyn, two cups of coffee already on the table, as if she was waiting for him. She smiled at him, and he quickly dodge the students running out the door as he made his way over and slid into the booth across from her.

“Good morning, Jyn. What brings you to these parts?” Ben asks, taking the coffee she pushed toward him.

“Do I need a reason to come visit a friend on his lunch break?” she retorts. The smirk she gives tells him that she absolutely has a reason she’s there, but she just wants to mess with him.

“No, I suppose you don’t. Although, if there’s one thing I know about you, Jyn, it’s that you don’t do anything without a reason.” He gives her a pointed look, but she just laughs at him.

“You don’t intimidate me, Solo. Give it up,” she clips. “Besides, I’ve seen you at your worst.”

Ben shakes his head, “Moving on. Seriously, you’re normally at work right now. What’s going on?”

“You’re right, I normally am, but there’s truly nothing going on. I took the day off because Cassian and I had our interview with DCF today. He still needs to go in this afternoon, but I thought I’d surprise you for lunch. I haven’t heard from you all weekend, and someone needs to make sure you don’t become a hermit.”

He fights the urge to respond to the jab. Instead he opts for another drink from his cup before responding with, “I’m really happy for you guys. This is a wonderful thing you’re doing. You’ve been talking about this since you were still a student. There’s so many kids that need a safe place to call home.”

Jyn nodded in agreement with his thoughts. Ben could remember sitting in this same spot all those years ago, listening to her talk about wanting to foster and adopt when she got older. While most women her age had dreamed of carrying their own child, Jyn never felt that pull. She’d always wanted to start a family, but the circumstances of her own childhood left her in fear of carrying a child. Instead she’d made it her goal to help children, and one day adopt a child or two.

In many ways the parallels between Rey and Jyn weren’t lost on him. Their circumstances had been different, but they were more alike than most people would realize. Jyn’s mother had died giving birth to her, and her father was never the same again from what she’d told him. Not that she knew herself firsthand. She and her father ended up staying with his sister’s family until the day he dropped her off at school and never came to pick her up. Instead her aunt had picked her up, no mention of where her dad was. The Erso family had continued on as if Galen had never been there, with no mention of him after that, Jyn being raised by her aunt and uncle from that day forward.

Rey had been left behind too, but with no family to step in and take her. In the end both women had become fighters, not letting the circumstances of their childhood define them. Instead, they rose above, both passionate about what they wanted to do and who they were. There were no excuses for them, they made their own destinies. Somehow he had fallen into step with these two strong women, both of whom reminded him of his mother because of it. But _that_ wasn’t something he was willing to think about right now.

It was in that moment that the door chime of the cafe tinged, drawing his attention to it, and he wasn’t disappointed. Walking in with a smile as bright as the sun, was Rey followed closely by Rose. Even from this distance he could see her immediately scan the room in search of him. When their eyes connected her smile grew more, something he wasn’t sure had been possible, but it flooded his veins with a warmth that could have thawed a winter snow.

She went with Rose to the table they preferred and left her backpack with her friends before turning and making her way over to him. He rose from his seat, wrapping her in his arms and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. It was strange in a way, something he’d never done or pictured himself doing. In his past relationships he’d never felt the urge to do something as leaving a kiss in their hair. With Rey it felt as natural as breathing though, just another way of letting her know he was there.

“I missed you,” she said, looking up to his face, her arms still wrapped around his torso.

“I missed you, as well.” It was true. He knew it seemed a little crazy, he had seen her just the night before, having spent most of the weekend in her presence. But that was one thing he was quickly figuring out, that he wanted to be around her more. Those stole walks in the evenings and the weekends were amazing. He spent the time in between them eagerly waiting for the next time he got to see her. She made the days brighter and he wanted to bask in it. “Sit with us for a moment? I know you want to go sit with the others, but there’s someone I’d like you to meet first.”

“Of course.”

He slid back into the booth, his hand wrapped around her, pulling her in next to him.

“Rey, this is my friend, Jyn Andor, we went to Berklee together. Jyn, this is my girlfriend, Rey Harris,” he introduces, the word girlfriend lingering on his tongue. It was the first time he’d used it outloud in reference to Rey, but it definitely wasn’t going to be the last time. Both women’s eyes go wide when they realize who they were meeting. He’d talked to them each about the other, and their importance to him, and now they were meeting. It was a big moment for him. Most men consider taking a woman to meet his parents as a large milestone, but Rey had known his mom for years, even if they hadn’t known each other yet.

But Jyn, she was a part of the family he’d chosen. She was the one who stepped in and took no shit from him from day one. It felt right that the two of them meet, and while he wasn’t worried about how it would go, he was still relieved that it had happened.

“It’s nice to meet you Jyn!” Rey said enthusiastically, reaching her free hand across the table to Jyn.

“Likewise. Ben talks very highly of you,” Jyn responds, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. It probably should have alarmed him, but he was too busy taking in the pink that crossed Rey’s face when she heard he’d been talking about her to someone.

“Well, he talks the same of you too, the girl who never gave up on him. If anything, perhaps I owe you thanks for that.” Now it was Ben’s turn to blush when Rey used those words. It was the truth, Jyn hadn’t given up, even when he did.

“I couldn’t have given up on him, even if I had wanted to. He’s a special one, someone had to make sure he took care of himself,” Jyn grinned.

“Alright you two, that’s enough. This isn’t poke fun at Ben time,” he said, trying to sound exasperated. But the smile he couldn’t suppress surely gave away that it didn’t bother him all that much.

Apparently Rey had other ideas though, because as soon as he’d said it she poked him in the side, eliciting a very childlike yelp from him. The words, “Sure it is,” coming from her mouth.

“Oh, I like her!” Jyn exclaimed with a burst of laughter. “She’s going to keep you on your toes, Solo. You’d better watch out.”

Rey grinned at Jyn, giving her a conspiratorial wink, before turning it to Ben.

“I need to go eat before I have to get back for Camerata. Take your time,” She said, leaving a kiss on his cheek, before he turned to catch her lips with his. It wasn’t a deep kiss, they were in the middle of the cafe after all, but it still sent an electric shock through him. He knew he would never tire of the feeling of her lips against his. She pulled back moments later, a soft smile meant only for him, before turning to Jyn. “I was nice to meet you Jyn. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.”

He watched as she walked to the counter to order her food, before finally turning back to Jyn.

“Wow, you have it bad for her,” Jyn observed.

“I...yes,” he conceded. There was no denying it. He knew it to be true, it didn’t take Jyn’s observations to point it out. “There’s something special about her. She’s like a magnet that just continues to draw me in.”

“I stand corrected. If I’m not mistaken, I think my little Ben is falling in love.”

His eyes rose quickly to hers, a flood of different emotions suddenly coursing through him. “Don’t reach Jyn. It’s been less than a month that I’ve known her. I wouldn’t say I’m in love with her…”

“Cut that crap out Ben. I’ll give you, it’s been a short time. But some people are just meant to be. And while I could be wrong, I doubt it. If you don’t want to label it that, fine. It’s obvious you have strong feelings for her. I’ve never seen you act like that around a woman. It’s obvious she feels strongly for you too.”

“Jyn, you met her for all of what, seven minutes? You can’t possibly have gotten all that.” He ran his through his hair, pushing it back from his face. The look she gave him was one reminiscent of the ones she’d give him all those years ago. It said to stop lying to yourself, and he wasn’t sure how that made him feel.

“Ben, just stop. I don’t give a damn what you want to call it, or don’t call it for that matter. What I do care about is you not pushing her away just because of your past. If what you’ve told me is true, I don’t think she’s going to care. She’s in this for you.”

Once again, Jyn was right, at least about him. He’d pushed many people away over the years. Rey was different, he didn’t want to push her away. Infact, he worried that if he held on too tight he might scare her away, and that terrified him.

“Jyn,” he pleads. “I don’t know how to not push them away. There’s that piece that I can’t let go of, those truths that people don’t know. And Christ, for once there’s someone I want to tell, and _that_ is something I’m still not sure I can do. No matter how much I want to.”

“You don’t have to tell her, eventually you will, but not yet. You’ll know when. For now just continue to get to know each other. Hell, take her out of the city for a weekend, just the two of you. I don’t know.”

That gave him pause. He hadn’t considered taking time for the two of them. She’d been so busy with recital preparation and classes that he didn’t want to interrupt that. He was happy to sit on the sidelines and let her do what she had to do. Maybe a weekend away would be a good idea? It seemed a little crazy to him, but also wonderful. And maybe he could plant the seeds of what could happen after her graduation at the same time.

“Jyn, you’re a genius,” he said, rising from the booth reaching out to her and giving her a hug when she stood as well. “Thank you.” Then he grabbed his coffee and made his way to where Rey was sitting.

“You’re welcome! And bye?” Jyn called after him. He raised a hand in recognition of her, but he had one thing on his mind right now, and he was afraid if he didn’t ask now then it wouldn’t happen. It was rash, something he hadn’t even considered before this moment, but it felt like the thing to do.

He took the vacant seat next Rey, his hand immediately reaching for hers, pulling her attention to him; her friends continuing on with whatever they had been talking about. Her eyes took on a concerned look for a moment, but he tried to not let it deter him. There was nothing wrong, other than the nerves that were wracking his body with what he was about to ask.

“Rey, this is going to sound a little crazy, but to hell with it, just let me get his out.” She nodded, turning to give him her full attention. Calm. That was the feeling that washed over him when she did that. “I have to go back to Missouri next week. It’s the St. Louis Blue Festival, and I was committed to play at it before I agreed to come here. And, well, I’m hoping maybe you’ll come with me. I’m leaving early on Friday the 10th, the event starts that evening and runs through the whole weekend. I’m planning to fly back on Monday since there’s no school that day.”

Her face was unreadable for a moment, and the fear of having asked too much, too soon had returned. For Ben, he felt as if all noise in the room had disappeared, the pounding in his veins overriding all of it.

“Yes!” The answer came from behind Rey, who had turned to look at Rose, who had felt the need to answer for her. “Oh don’t you two look at me like that. Yes, Ben. Rey would like to go to St. Louis with you.”

Rey shook her head, turning back to Ben. She stood and began to make her way out of the cafe, pulling him with her. This was it. Now he knew he’d asked too much, she was getting him away from everyone in hopes he wouldn’t cause a scene when she turned him down. Not that he would. He would take it like a man, and while it broke his heart to think she didn’t want to go, he wasn’t going to make an issue of it. He would continue to be happy with what they already had.

“Rey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that of you. I just,” he started, but was cut off when she pulled him down into a searing kiss that took his breath away. He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, savoring the feel of her against him. They stayed like that until the need to breathe became overwhelming.

“Why are you flying out Friday morning? Why push your schedule like that?” she asks, her eyes wide. The question throws him for a moment. It hadn’t been what he was expecting, but the answer was easy enough.

“I promised this amazing woman I would be at her senior recital. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he answered, resting his forehead against hers.

“You changed your flights for me? And you want to show me where you call home? Really?” The earnestness in her eyes peeling back another layer from him. He hadn’t really considered it as showing her his home, but that’s exactly what it was.

“Absolutely. I want you to be there. It’s one of the biggest music festivals the city hosts. I think you’ll love it. And, if I’m being honest, I just want you to myself.” That earned him another of her blinding smiles that he longed to see.

“Ok, yes. I’ll go with you.”

“Really?” Ben couldn’t believe it. He thought for sure when she’d brought him outside that she was going to turn him down, tell him she wasn’t ready for something like that. Instead he felt as though fireworks were going off just for them.

“Really. Meet me in St. Louis?” she asked, referencing the old musical, her laughter bubbling through it.

Ben instead pulled her closer and tilted her face up to his. “Better yet, I’ll take you there myself.” Then he pressed his lips to hers again, this time only pulling back when Rose cleared her throat to get their attention. She handed Rey her bag that had been left at the table and the two turned to make their way to their campus.

Ben made his way back to his office early, he planned to use the time to get Rey’s plane ticket purchased for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next we will finally get to her senior recital, and her special song she wrote for Ben! Then it's off to St. Louis and Blues Festival. I'm so excited for these next chapters. 
> 
> I hope you all continue to enjoy this. You're comments, no matter how small, are the life blood of this story. You keep me going when I hit the writing wall. 
> 
> Don't forget to follow me on twitter @Piano_Lily


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, it's here! Chapter 10, finally! I cannot tell you how sorry I am that it took this long. I had plans weeks ago to finish it and get it up here, but then COVID picked up in my area and all my plans went out the window. 
> 
> Our local schools have closed for the remainder of the school year, so now I will be teaching 3 of my kids from home, on top of continuing my piano lessons virtually. I still plan on trying to put in a couple hours a week writing on the weekends why my husband can help with the kids. But I just won't have as much time as I did before, not until school is done, or we find a better rhythm for getting everything done. 
> 
> I hope all of you are hanging in there and staying healthy. My thoughts are with all of you.
> 
> I assure you I will continue to work on this at every free chance I have. I love this story, and it's getting to my favorite part of the outline.
> 
> For those choosing to skip the smut, you will want to take your leave after the line "before they have to catch their morning flight."

The day of her recital had arrived, and Rey found herself a mess for most of the day. The benefit of having it on a Thursday was that she still had classes that morning, therefore allowing herself to put it from her mind while she focused on her classes. After that? Her mind kept running away with all the what if’s, and shoulda coulda woulda’s. Should she have added that song at the last minute? Could she truly pull this off? Would anyone actually show up to hear her perform? The list went on.

For now she found herself sitting in her room, the dress for her performance hanging on the back of her door. She couldn’t stop staring at it. Like, if she didn’t put it on then this whole thing would happen, right?

What she wanted to do, more than anything at this moment, was reach out to Ben. Over the last several days he had become a constant for her. A grounding force helped her to keep her head on straight, not letting the panic set in. He would text her during his lesson breaks, often about how there was a student who failed to fully finish an assigned task. But she found it calming. That there was so much else going on outside of her head, the recital wasn’t the end of the world.

But sitting here, now alone, those thoughts began to set in again. The panic over whether or not she could do this. She wanted to hear his voice, the deep baritone a balm to her nerves.

She glanced at the clock, wondering if he would be available right now, but he wasn’t. It was 3:15 and she knew he was in the middle of lessons, and wouldn’t have a break until he showed up for her recital. Thursday’s were one of his longer teaching days anyway, but he’d been able to move a few of his later students today to earlier slots, guaranteeing that he wouldn’t be late for recital. She appreciated the gesture, and didn’t want to seem needy by interrupting him.

For all his complaining about students not doing the work assigned, she could also tell that it didn’t bother him as much as he said. In fact, she was of the opinion that it was beginning to grow on him. Maybe even becoming something he would consider doing longer term.

Needing a distraction from herself, Rey grabs her phone from the night stand, and fires off a quick group text to Rose and Kaydel.

_Ladies, I need you._

Simple. Within moments both had responded with affirmations that they would both be there within half an hour, with Paige in tow as well. Breathing a sigh of relief, Rey headed into the small kitchen to grab a glass of water, before settling onto the couch with her well worn copy of _Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland_ to help calm her nerves.

The next thing Rey knows, she’s being nudged awake by Kaydel, while Rose and Paige are setting numerous bags down on the small table. Over the next couple of hours the four girls spend their time eating the spring rolls and bánh xèo that Rose and Paige had brought from their parents house. Once they had had their fill they moved back to Rey’s room, where she could begin getting ready for the recital. She would change into her dress in one of the rooms at Jordan Hall, but her hair and makeup would be done before leaving.

Rey wasn’t much of one for doing more than putting her hair in a ponytail and swiping her Burt's Bees on her lips. To her benefit though, Kaydel was more than happy to take on the challenge of wrangling her hair into a suitable style for the recital, as well as applying her makeup for her. Kaydel’s only rule was that Rey couldn’t see it until she was fully ready. To Kaydel, that meant that Rey would have to wait until they were at Jordan Hall and she was in her dress, before she would be allowed to see her work.

After sitting in a kitchen chair for what seemed like hours, but was surely less than that, Rey was finally allowed to stand and move around - as long as she promised to stay away from mirrors.

She went to her room and gathered her dress, as well as the small suitcase she had packed for her trip to St. Louis that weekend. They had discussed earlier in the week that she would just stay the night with him after her recital since they had to catch an early plane.

It was still a little unreal to her that Ben had wanted her to come with him, and if she was honest with herself, she was surprised at how excited she was. She’d never really left the Boston area before. None of the foster families she’d been with had taken her on trips with them. Each summer their group of friends would take a weekend camping trip to a nearby state campgrounds. It was always a lot of fun, and she looked forward to it. But this was different. This was her getting to travel somewhere far beyond the Massachusetts state line. And she would get to see where Ben called home, which was the most exciting part for her.

First she just had to get through her recital. A glance at her clock told her it was nearing time to go. With a final scan of her room, she grabbed her phone charger and dropped it into the suitcase, then rejoined her friends in the living room.

They had planned in advance that Paige would drop the other three girls off at Jordan Hall, so that Rey could finish getting ready, and then she would go pick-up her parents so that they could come see her performance as well.

So with her suitcase and dress in tow, the girls all made their way down to Paige’s parked car, and off to Jordan Hall. Once they arrived, the three girls grabbed the dress from the care, leaving the suitcase where it was, and waved goodbye to Paige as she drove off.

Once they entered the dressing rooms, Rey’s nerves kicked up, this time to the point she couldn’t stop pacing the room. This was it. If she screwed this up, what would she do?

Rose and Kaydel were in the corner of the room whispering. Rey could hear them, but her thoughts were so all over the place that she couldn’t bring herself to worry about what they were talking about.

A knock at the door caused her to jump, she hadn’t been expecting anyone yet. Finn and Poe had come by earlier to set up their instruments, and they were going to wait and see her later during the break. And Kaz wasn’t set to arrive for another five minutes or so. She spared a look to the girls in the corner before crossing to the door and throwing it open.

“Ben!” she exclaims, throwing her arms around him, fighting off the urge to break down in his arms. “What...what are you doing here already? You said you would come closer to 6:30 and go straight into the venue.”

Ben let out a deep chuckle, wrapping his arms around her and stepping them both into the room, pushing the door shut behind him with his foot.

“I wrapped up early and decided to head over. And Rose texted Finn letting him know you were pacing the floor and could use some support. He sent me back to check on you, claiming he needed to check his kit,” he says, pulling back slightly to look into her eyes. “Enough about me though. What’s going on? Are you OK?”

“I am now,” she sighs, a small smile crossing her face at the worried look in his eyes. “I just keep getting lost in my own head. Thoughts of ‘what if I mess up.’ Stuff of that nature.”

“Well, stop.” he replies matter of factly. “You’re ready, I know you are. My mother knows you are. I don’t have to talk to her to know that she wouldn’t put you up there if you weren’t ready for it. Just relax, yeah? I’ve got a seat up front, near your roommates, just look to me if it helps.”

She nods, feeling the tension leave her body at his words. He was right, she didn’t need to be worried. She could do this, she knew these songs.

Taking a deep breath, she smiles up at him. “Thank you,” she says, feeling lighter than she had all day.

He leans over, resting his forehead against hers.

“Don’t you think about kissing her and messing up that make-up, Solo!” Kaydel calls from across the room with a laugh.

Rey and Ben both turn to look at her, then join in the laughter. The atmosphere of the room having lightened considerably.

Minutes later Kaz stopped by to let Rey know he was there and would be waiting for her at stage left, then ducked back out of the room.

“That’s my cue to leave. Will you be alright?” Ben asks, taking her hands in his.

“Yeah, I’m good. You’re right, I got this. Now go take your seat and let me get my dress on.” Rey says. Ben smirks, then raises her right hand to his lips and leaves a kiss on her knuckles. Turning on his heel, Ben makes his way to the door, and with one final look back at Rey, he leaves, closing the door softly behind him.

Rey turns back to Rose and Kaydel, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Alright girls, lets get that dress on!” Rey says with excitement. From her spot in the corner, Kaydel jumps up clapping, while Rose begins removing the dress from the garment bag.

***

Ben took his seat in the front row of the performance hall to wait for Rey’s recital to begin. Finn and Poe were seated at the end of the aisle closest to him, and throughout it were most of Rey’s friends he had met, and several he had heard of. Sitting immediately behind him were Jyn and Cassian. He had mentioned the upcoming recital to Jyn in passing, but he hadn’t expected to see them there.

Also in the 2nd row, about 5 seats down from Jyn, was his mother. He knew from the moment he’d come back from Rey’s dressing room and saw her, there was no way he would get out of talking to her tonight. She was seated next to Amilyn, with other vocal faculty seated around them. When he moved from the door to his seat, he could see her watching him the whole way. Now, seated and waiting for the recital to start, he could feel her eyes on him still. It was unnerving.

To his benefit, it didn’t last long. He’d spent long enough in the dressing room checking on Rey, that now the recital was set to start any minute. Rose and Kaydel had already taken their seats next to Finn and Poe, both already paying rapt attention to the stage where Rey would be standing.

Following their lead, Ben turned his head back to the stage, just in time to see Rey and Kaz walk out onto the stage together. The auditorium broke out into polite applause as they took their places. As soon as the room quieted, Kaz immediately began the strains of the first song, _Lilacs, Op. 21, No. 5_ by Rachmaninoff. It was the piece she had been the most concerned about, and she had mentioned putting it first in the program, just to get it out of the way.

Throughout the introduction her shoulders seemed tense, but as she began her first lines of the song, their eyes connected, and Ben could see her whole body relax.

As her warm honey voice wrapped around his senses, he was taken in by how stunning she looked. When he’d stopped by the dressing room she had still been in her street clothes. Not anymore. Now she was draped in a beautiful dark green dress. The lace, v-neck bodice tapered in at the waist, before flowing out into a chiffon skirt. The two parts met in the middle with a diamond encrusted, silver broach at the waist. The sleeves were an illusion, thin and transparent, so that the dark emerald lace looked to be etched onto her skin.

Ben watches Rey with rapt attention, his gaze never wavering from her. He listens to each song, Mozart’s _Abendempfindung K. 523_ , Bizet’s _Seguidilla_ , Brahms’s _Dein blaues Auge_. The songs went on covering composers from Schubert, Debussy, Rossini, Fauré, Schumann and Ramsey. It was an impressive lineup of pieces, some of which he was familiar with but hadn’t actually heard before.

Ben was tempted to go see her during the intermission, an excuse to avoid his mother, but he didn’t want to be a distraction to her. She had hit a stride and he didn’t want to become a distraction now. Instead, he turns and strikes up a conversation with Jyn and Cassian to pass the time before the second half of the recital began.

When Rey took the stage the second time, Ben was just as enthralled as the first. She commanded the stage in a way that few students her age were capable of. She was a natural, born for this, of that he was sure. More than that though, he knew the hard work she had put in. Hours upon hours in the practice rooms rehearsing, evenings in her apartment studying the scores, making sure she had each detail memorized.

Taking each song at a time, Ben would follow in the program, trying to recall if he was familiar with the next piece. Finally reaching the last one, he knew he had never heard of it, _Mad About You_. Checking the composer line, Ben was surprised to see Rey’s name. When he looked back up to the stage, he was even more surprised to see Rey had taken a seat at the grand piano where Kaz had sat all night. Her dress laying around her delicately on the bench.

It was then that he realized Finn and Poe had also taken up spots on the stage, with their respective instruments. Ben hadn’t even noticed them leaving their seats at some point during the performance. Now he felt a little foolish he hadn’t noticed their instruments on the stage beforehand, his attention having been completely on Rey. His curiosity was piqued, she hadn’t mentioned that the band was performing at her recital.

Rey turned toward the audience for a moment, a microphone in her hand.

“This final song is actually one that I wrote. It was initially written as an assignment for my composition class this semester, but it has morphed into something very close to my heart,” she says, her eyes connecting with Ben’s while she spoke. After a brief moment she turned back to the piano, placing the mic into the stand that had been provided for it.

Then the music began. A low, plucked baseline from Poe, and basic drum pattern on the kit. Four measures later Rey came in on the piano with the piano melody. But it was once she started singing that Ben felt the air leave his lungs.

_Feel the vibe, feel the terror, feel the pain, it's driving me insane._  
_I can't fake, for God's sake why am I driving in the wrong lane_  
_Trouble is my middle name, but in the end I'm not too bad_  
_Can someone tell me if it's wrong to be so mad about you_  
_Mad about you, Mad_

If Ben had thought she was a natural at opera, then this was something even more. Watching her lose herself in her own music, something she created, was simply out of this world. She closed her eyes for several minutes, her fingers moving on autopilot, and when they reopened they immediately locked onto him again.

_Are you the fishy wine that will give me a headache in the morning_  
_Or just a dark blue land mine that will explode without a decent warning._  
_Give me all your true hate and I'll translate it in our bed,_  
_Into never seen passion, never seen passion_  
_That is why I am so mad about you_  
_Mad about you,_  
_Mad_

She sang on and on, her eyes unwavering from Ben’s, to the point he wasn’t sure if he could continue to sit there without acting. If they had been anywhere else he would have pulled her off the stage and taken her away for himself. It was only the knowledge that she had to be here, this was needed for her to graduate, that kept him in his seat.

Although, if you were to ask him, this song certainly wasn’t about singing for her grade. She was singing to him, and he was drinking up every note. He was a man in need, and she was the glass of water that could quench his thirst.

He was so lost to her, to her voice that wrapped itself around him and wouldn’t let go, that when she finished, the instant applause that filled the recital hall startled him. He quickly jumped to his feet, joining the rest of the audience in praising her.

She finally pulled her eyes from his, turning to acknowledge her bandmates, as well as Kaz, who had stepped back out on stage. Then they all disappeared backstage, and for the moment Ben felt lost.

The urge to run backstage and steal her away was nearly overwhelming. But he knew how this would play out. She needed to stay for the small reception that had been set up. It was something his mother always did for her senior recital students. It was a chance for the performer to shine for a few minutes more, as well as get the chance to mingle with those who had attended, and thank them for coming. But really it was a chance for all the vocal faculty to congratulate them on a job well done, not just for the evening, but for all the work they had put in over the last four years.

Looking to the dressing room door, Ben saw Kaz waving him over. Exhaling the breath he had realized he’d been holding, Ben quickly made his way to where Kaz stood.

“She’s asking for you man,” Kaz said as Ben approached. Nodding, Ben stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He’d barely turned to look for Rey, when she came hurtling toward him, her arms closing in around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. For a moment he stood, caught off guard, then finally melting into her. When the need for air became too great, Ben pulled back, a goofy grin taking over his entire face.

“Hey,” She said breathlessly, loosening her grip on his neck when he let his forehead rest against hers. It seems like such a small thing to say, but to Ben it meant the world. He was the one she asked for as soon as she had finished. Even with all the people in the audience who had known her for far longer, she asked for him. It made his heart hammer in his chest from both nerves and excitement.

“Rey, you were magnificent up there,” he finally says, his thoughts still a jumble from the whole ordeal. Then he shifted, moving his mouth next to her ear, speaking so only she could here, “Not to mention that you look absolutely stunning.”

When pulled back, standing up to his full height, she quickly grabbed hold of his hand, her eyes shining at him with the lightest look he’d seen in them. The weight from the recital was over, and you could see the calm that had come over her, knowing that it was finished.

“Will you stay for the reception?” she questioned, her eyes darting between him and the exit to where she needed to go quickly.

“I had planned on that all along. If you want me to, that is.”

“Yes!” She exclaimed, “Of course I want you to stay.”

“Good. Now, as much as I would rather keep you here to myself, let’s head on out there. Your fans await you.” he smirks, leading her to the door. He knew once they left this room that it was only a matter of time before they crossed paths with his mother, and at this point he’d just rather get it over with.

Stepping ahead of her, he opens the door, ushering her out into the reception area, his arm going around her waist as they step away from the door together, and into the waiting crowd.

The reception started off with ease. Rey had introduced him to the Tico’s, Hue and Thanya. They were very pleasant, and he could understand why Rey loved the family so much. He also met several staff members that had no idea who he was, having all joined since he left Boston. It was refreshing to be introduced as Rey’s boyfriend, as opposed to Leia’s son.

As their conversation with Jyn and Cassian wound down, the couple turned, and Ben came face to face with his mother.

“Dr. Organa!” Rey cried out, surging forward to embrace the older woman in excitement. Meanwhile Ben felt momentarily rooted to the spot.

“Rey, you did wonderful,” Leia responded, pulling back slightly, grasping her by the shoulders to look her in the eye. “Just wonderful. Your hard work certainly paid off, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Nonsense. I simply gave you the direction you needed, you did the rest yourself. You’re one of the hardest working students I’ve seen in all my years here.”

“That she certainly is,” Ben says, finally pulling himself together. He’d known this moment was coming, he spent half his afternoon trying to mentally prepare himself for it. But in the end, nothing could have prepared him for this moment. Seeing his mother was something that sent a flurry of emotions through him. But to see these women embracing each other did something else to him, that he didn’t want to dwell on at this moment. Instead he chose to put Rey first tonight, which had been his plan all along.

Stepping forward, Ben leaned down and left a small peck on her cheek, pulling back as quickly as he’d moved in.

“Mother,” he said, his words short, but the tone deep and open in his chest.

“Ben.” That one word from her mouth, causing his chest to constrict in ways he didn’t know possible. It was Leia who closed the gap that time, wrapping her arms around him. After a moment of hesitation Ben brought his arms around his mother, her frame feeling so small next to his. “It’s so good to see you son.” The emotion was thick on her voice, and Ben found himself needing to swallow back the lump forming in his throat.

“It’s good to see you too, mom,” he finally manages to get out, although the words are choked and shaky.

When Leia finally pulled back, the smile on her face fell, and Ben suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a firm smack to the arm.

“And that is for returning to Boston without so much as a phone call. And you’re lucky that’s all it is since I haven’t heard from you in years. Benjamin Phillip Solo, we raised you better than that.”

Ben stared at his mother, dumbfounded for a moment, the realization of what she’d just done, calling him out like that in a room full of people _and_ smacking him, settling over him. Next to him there was a snicker, and turning to look, Rey had her hand covering her mouth, trying to hide the fact she was laughing at the entire situation. Clearly the look he had on his face wasn’t helping, because once he was looking at her instead, she ended the charade of trying to hide the laugh, and let her whole face light up as she didn’t fight it anymore.

Watching her immediately brought a smile to his face, one that didn’t leave even after he turned back to his mother. He knew that after tonight there would be no turning back, at some point he would have to sit down and have a conversation with her. But it wouldn’t be tonight.

Tonight was about Rey.

After that the night seemed to move along quicker, the initial nerves of seeing his mother having dissipated now that it was over. They had talked with her for another few minutes before more staff and faculty wanted to congratulate Rey, as well as friends who had come to hear her.

Ben stayed by her side the whole time, like she had asked, a warmth spreading through him every time she introduced him as her boyfriend. It seemed like such a small thing, and perhaps it was, but it certainly meant the world to him.

***

Finally the night wound down as people left, and soon Ben found himself carrying Rey’s suitcase up the stairs to his apartment, and holding the door open for her. Once inside he set her suitcase next to his own, before taking her jacket and hanging on the hook with his own.

“It’s not much, but it works for my needs. And the university set it all up for me, since I’m only here temporarily. So I can’t complain,” Ben said, breaking the silence between them, as he made his way back to where she stood.

“It’s fine, Ben. Nicer than my apartment, that’s for sure.” she responds, taking another look around, before locking eyes with him, the barest hint of a smile on her face. She reaches up, her right hand cupping his cheek, and he can’t stop himself from covering her hand with his, and turning into it, pressing a kiss to the palm of her hand.

Ben hears her breath hitch as he leaves another kiss on the inside of her wrist, continuing a trail of them to the crook of her elbow, where he paused to take her in. Her eyes on him, but unfocused. Soft pink lips parted in anticipation of where things were going.

He could barely focus all day, knowing that tonight he was going to see her do what she loved to do, and that after, she would be with him. There wasn’t any walking her back to her apartment, having to let her go. Tonight, and for the entire weekend, she would be his. He had plans for her, things he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since that night at her apartment. And he had the entire weekend to make good on every one of them.

Ben resumed with the trail of kisses he’d started, up her arm, across her shoulder to her neck. He continued up until he reached her ear lobe, pausing long enough to whisper, “Let me show you exactly how beautiful you were tonight. I want to hear you sing again, this time just for me.”

Rey released a shaky exhale, as Ben kissed along her jawline. Her breathey, barely audible “Please,” was the final thing said before he finally captured her lips with his, a searing kiss that nearly brought him to his knees.

He snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her tight against his body, as she wound her arms around his neck. Ben groaned at the feel of her lithe body against his. It was all so intense, so fast. But Ben didn’t care. He’d never wanted anyone like this before. His veins throb, his heart exploding with fire in them.

They move across the room, a whimper escaping Rey when he pulls away momentarily to lead her across the small studio to the bed, hidden away in the furthest corner. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ben pulls her down to straddle his lap before crashing their lips together again, his hands firm on her hips.

Rey lets out a choked gasp at the sudden movement, but seems to come back to herself quickly. Moments later Ben feels her hands lost in his hair, pulling him in closer, if that were even possible.

His hands begin to roam over her lithe body, so soft and firm at the same time. He lets his hands begin to glide across the soft skin where her shirt meets her jeans, before quickly raising them, pulling the shirt with them, and tossing it to the floor. Her bra quickly following. Taking advantage of their brief separation, Ben pulls back, his eyes raking over her bare skin.

_Oh God, she’s beautiful,_

It’s the last concise thought he has before laying her down in his bed and divesting her of the rest of her clothes. He’s had one goal in mind all day, and now he plans to make good on it. He wants to taste her, and make her scream his name as many times as possible before they have to catch their morning flight.

His hands came up, palming her right breast, while his head lowered and took the other into his mouth. The hum of pleasure that came from her gave Ben all the encouragement he needed to continue his ministrations. Rolling her nipple between his fingers, he popped off her other breast, and came up to kiss her again.

Her lips under his were soft and pleading. And when he reached down, dragging his fingers along the expanse of her stomach she gasped, sending bolts of energy through him. Taking advantage of her reaction, Ben’s tongue invaded her mouth, deepening the kiss. Her hands grasped his shoulders, holding him firm against her while he ravished her mouth with his.

Ben had kissed his share of women over the years, but none held a candle to Rey. She was the one writhing underneath him, but he felt consumed by her. Her scent, her taste, the sounds coming from her. Every part of her took a piece from him, and he would willingly give it all up to have more of her.

Pushing himself up on his hands, Ben gazed down into her eyes, “Fuck, Rey, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Let me show you.”

The nod she gave, accompanied by a breathtaking smile, was all the encouragement he needed. Sliding down her body, he positioned himself between her legs, his mouth latching onto one, just above the knee. He pulled her leg up to an angle giving himself easier access to her. His mouth worked its way up her thigh, a mixture of teeth and kisses, that had her keening, and wriggling, her body begging for more contact.

“Ben, please. I need…” she trailed off, as he slid a finger teasingly along her cunt, that first touch derailing whatever it was she had to say.

“What is it Rey? Tell me, what is it you need?” He asks, his voice low, as he let his fingers skim across her again.

“I need you. Please. I want you,” she begs, and Ben’s self control slips just a little, wanting to give in to exactly what she’s asking for. But not tonight. Tonight is about her.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” he murmurs, diving down, his tongue licking her from bottom to top. Ben found himself having to adjust his hands on her hips to keep her from bucking him off. “Fuck, Rey. You taste amazing,” he admits, before settling her legs over his shoulders. With a final look up at her, he sets to work his mouth suckling her clit before thrusting his tongue into her cunt, devouring her.

Rey cried out above him, reaching down and burying her hands in his hair, coaxing him on, and pressing his face further into her sex. She was addicting, and Ben longed for nothing more than to bring her this pleasure. He worked his tongue in her like a man possessed, before relenting just long enough to pressing a finger into her, his making its way back to her now engorged clit.

Ben felt her body begin to tense beneath him, her earlier moans giving way to indecipherable chanting. Adding another finger, he pumped his fingers in and out, his mouth sucking her overstimulated clit at the same time. Her hands pulled at his hair, nearly painful in their endeavour, but he didn’t care. He only had one thing one goal, and he was so close to getting exactly what he wanted.

“Ben, Ben!” she chanted above him, her body glistening in a thin sheen of sweat.

“That’s it Rey. Come for me,” he crooned, pulling back just enough to speak, but letting his thumb continue the assault on her. When his mouth connected with her sex again, it was enough to push her over the edge.

Rey cried out, her orgasm rolling through her, Ben slowed, allowing her to ride out her orgasm while he feasted on her. As Rey lay there trembling in the aftermath, Ben rose to his knees, wiping his face with the back of his hand, before laying down next to her, pulling her into his arms.

“Ben what about…” Rey started, letting her hand skim down his torso. He shifted, grabbing her hand with his, and bringing it up for kiss, before resting under his own on his chest.

“Not tonight. This was your night in every sense of the word. I got what I wanted. There will be plenty of time later for more,” he whispered into her hair, her head resting on his chest. “Now I just want to hold you for the night, and then take you to my home. Sleep now, we have to get up early to get to the airport.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Rey writes for her senior recital is "Mad About You" by Hooverphonic. 
> 
> Don't forget to follow me on twitter @piano_lily There you can check out a picture of [Rey’s Recital Dress](https://twitter.com/piano_lily/status/1248954726818906113?s=21) And also hear [Rey’s original song](https://twitter.com/piano_lily/status/1248737884833751043?s=21)!
> 
> Stay safe and stay healthy guys! I'm going to start Chapter 11 tonight!


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